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History  of  the  Church 


United  Brethren  in  Christ 


REV.  DANIEL  BERGER,  D.D. 


DAYTON,  OHIO 

Uniteb  Brett^rcn  publist^tng  i^ouse 

W.  J.  Shuey,  Publisher 

1897 


Copyright,  1897 
By  W.  J.  Shuey,  Publisher 


All  rights  reserved 


PREFACE 


During  a  number  of  years  past,  there  has  been  frequent  expres- 
sion of  desh-e  that  a  new  history  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
should  be  written.  The  earlier  work  of  Mr.  Spayth  traced  the 
history  with  moderate  fullness  down  to  about  the  year  1825,  and 
more  cursorily  to  1841.  The  sketch  prepared  by  Ex-Bishop  Hanby, 
intended  as  a  kind  of  supplement  to  Mr.  Spayth's  writing,  com- 
mencing at  1825,  gave  a  rapid  view  down  to  1850.  The  fuller 
history  of  ^Ir.  Lawrence  covered  the  ground  again  from  the  begin- 
ning, closing  with  the  year  1861,  the  date  of  the  publication  of  the 
second  volume.  The  lapse  of  more  than  a  third  of  a  centujy, 
through  a  period  which  has  witnessed  great  development  in  the 
progressive  life  of  the  Church,  has  greatly  emphasized  the  need  of 
a  new  work  which  should  trace  the  history  down  to  the  present 

time. 

The  desire  for  a  new  history  first  found  official  expression  m  a 
resolution  adopted  by  the  General  Conference  of  1889,  authorizing 
the  publisher  and  trustees  of  the  Publishing  House  to  secure  its 
preparation.  No  one  being  found  who  was  willing  to  take  up  what 
seemed  a  rather  formidable  responsibility,  the  quadrennium  passed 
without  a  beginning  being  made,  and  the  General  Confereuce  of 
1893  renewed  the  action  of  1889.  Under  this  authority,  m  May, 
1894,  the  present  writer  was  appointed  to  undertake  the  work.  The 
task  was  accepted  with  a  full  sense  of  the  responsibility  involved, 
but  with  the  hope  that  in  due  time  it  might  be  accomplished.  He 
began  early  to  make  preparation  for  the  work,  collecting  materials 
through  extensive  correspondence  and  from  all  other  available 
sources.  Other  duties  claiming  a  portion  of  his  time,  such  as  the 
care  of  a  large  congregation  for  nearly  a  year,  and  afterward  of  the 
Sunday-school  literature  of  the  Church,  the  writing  itself  proceeded 
with  deliberation,  a  fact  which  the  author  trusts  has  resulted  m 
advantage  to  the  work.  .,    ,  r  .        if 

In  the  preparation  of  the  history  the  author  has  availed  himselt 
of  all  accessible  sources  of  information,  making  of  some  a  quite 
free  use.  Some  of  the  books  drawn  upon  are  Spayth's  "History 
of  the  Church  of  the   United   Brethi'en    in   Chi-ist,"    Lawrences 


ii  PREFACE 


''History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,"  Drury's 
"Life  of  Rev.  Phihp  William  Otterbein,"  Harbaugh's  "Life  of 
Rev.  Michael  Schlatter,"  Harbaugh's  "Fathers  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,"  Bangs's  and  Stevens's  Histories  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Yeakel's  "History  of  the  Evangelical  Associa- 
tion," Funk's  "Mennouite  Church  and  Her  Accusers,"  Henry 
Boeiim's  "Reminiscences,"  Newcomer's  "Journal,"  Asbury's  "Jour- 
nal "  Drury's  "Life  of  Bishop  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  D.D.,"  Davis's 
•'  Life  of  Bishop  David  Edwards,  D.D.,"  Thompson's  "  Our  Bishops," 
some  of  the  volumes  of  "The  American  Church  History  Series," 
"Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  1814-1841,"  E.  L. 
Shuey's  "Handbook  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,"  Flickiuger 
and  ]McKee's  History  of  Missions  of  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
"History  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ,"  the  "  United  Brethren  Year-Book,"  the  journal 
of  the  original  conference,  the  General  Conference  journal,  old 
annual-conference  journals,  and  the  files  of  some  of  the  periodical 
publications. 

In  addition  to  these  sources  of  information  the  author  finds  him- 
self under  great  Indebtedness  to  ministers  and  others  throughout  the 
entire  Church.  From  every  annual  conference,  from  every  institu- 
tion of  learning,  and  from  the  officers  of  the  missionary  and  other 
societies  of  the  Church,  materials  have  been  generously  supplied, 
without  which  the  history  could  not  have  appeared  in  so  complete 
a  form.  But  most  of  all  is  the  author  indebted  to  Bishop  J.  W. 
Hott,  Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  and  W.  A.  Shuey,  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  examine  the  manuscript  before  publication.  In  addition 
to  this  examination  Professor  Drury  also  read  the  book  again  in  proof, 
making  various  valuable  suggestions.  In  this  w^ork  the  largest 
obligation  is  due  to  Mr.  Shuey  for  his  critical  revision  of  the  entire 
history,  both  in  the  manuscript  and  proof,  and  for  his  careful 
preparation  of  a  large  portion  of  the  valuable  materials  in  Part  jy, 
and  the  pages  following.  The  writer  is  also  especially  indebted  to  the 
publisher  for  placing  at  his  disposal  every  facility  for  the  prosecu- 
tion of  the  work. 

A  constant  aim  of  the  author  has  been  to  secure  as  far  as  possible 
historical  accuracy,  and  no  pains  have  been  spared  to  reach  this 
end.  How  difficult  this  feature  of  the  work  is,  few,  perhaps,  can 
comprehend,  except  those  who  have  undertaken  to  write  history. 
It  is  probable  that  in  the  earlier  portions  of  the  denominational 
history  but  few  facts  will  in  future  be  discovered  that  will  in  any 
imi)ortant  degree  modify  the  statements  now  made.  In  the  later 
portions  a  principal  task  is  to  select  judiciously  out  of  the  abun- 
dance of  the  materials.    So  rapid,  too,  are  the  changes  which  are 


PREFACE  iii 

constantly  going  forward,  that  much  of  what  is  fact  to-day  will 
be  modified  to-morrow.  Among  these  are  the  changes  in  the  bound- 
ary lines  of  conferences,  and  in  the  ministers  constituting  the  con- 
ferences. The  great  Reaper  is  constantly  busy,  and  transfers  from 
one  conference  to  another  are  so  frequent  that  some  names  correctly 
placed  at  the  date  when  portions  M^ere  written  will  already  aj^pear 
out  of  their  true  relation.  The  author  must  here  also  express  his 
regret  that  many  of  the  worthy  dead,  as  also  of  the  living,  could 
not  receive  a  fuller  mention,  the  reasonable  limits  of  a  single  volume 
forbidding  further  extension.  The  portions  relating  to  the  revision 
movement,  and  the  long  legal  conflicts  which  ensued,  follow  closely 
the  official  records,  and  may  be  relied  upon  as  strictly  historical. 

In  the  execution  of  this  responsible  task  the  author  has  found 
an  unusual  pleasure  in  walking  with  the  fathers  of  the  Church 
over  their  old  fields  of  toil  for  the  Master,  and  in  gaining  a  larger 
acquaintance  with  the  noble  army  of  their  successors  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard.  Many  of  these  fathers,  through  a  life  spent  from  his 
childhood  in  the  Church,  he  has  met  and  known.  Of  the  twenty- 
six  bishops  whom  the  Church  has  had,  he  has  personally  kno^^^l 
twenty,  nineteen  of  this  number  as  guests  either  in  his  own  or  in 
his  father's  house.  Of  the  long  list  of  others  who  have  held  posi- 
tions in  the  general  offices  of  the  Church,  he  has  known  every  one. 
In  the  prosecution  of  his  work,  therefore,  he  has  been  associated 
with  those  whom  he  has  known  and  loved  as  fathers  and  brethren, 
and  for  whom,  living  and  dead,  he  cherishes  the  warmest  Chris- 
tian regard. 

The  work  as  now  completed  is  commended  to  the  good  will  of 
the  reader,  in  the  hope  that  it  may  promote  better  acquaintance 
with  the  past  labors  and  triumphs  of  the  Church,  and  aid  in 
quickening  zeal  for  its  future  enlargement,  and  so  lead  to  the  praise 
of  Him  whom  Ave  love  and  serve. 

The  Author. 

Dayton,  Ohio,  April  15,  1«97. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface, ----         i 

List  of  Illustrations, ---xv 


PART  I 
General  History 

INTRODUCTORY  PERIOD— 1752-1774 
Preliminary, --o»i7 

CHAPTER  I 

Philip  William  Otterbein 

I.  Parentage,  Birth,  and  Early  Years  of  Mr.  Otterbein,      -       -       -       -  20 

II.  The  Otterbein  Family, 22 

III.  The  School  at  Herborn, 26 

IV.  "Work  in  Herborn  and  Ockersdorf, 28 

V.  The  Call  to  America, 31 

CHAPTER  II 

Mr.  Otterbein  in  America 

I.    Mr.  Otterbein's  Earlier  Years  in  America — Pastor  at  Lancaster,       -       43 
II.    In  Tulpehocken,  Frederick  City,  and  York, 51 

CHAPTER  III 
Otterbein  and  Boehm 

I.    Martin  Boehm, 63 

II.    Mr.  Boehm  in  Virginia, 72 

III.    Meeting  of  Otterbein  and  Boehm, 78 

SECOND  PERIOD  — 1774-1800 

CHAPTER  IV 

Mr.  Otterbein  Called  to  Balti^iore 

I.  A  New  Era  in  Mr.  Otterbein's  Life, 82 

II.  The  Reformed  Church  in  Baltimore, 83 

III.  A  New  Congregation  Organized, 84 

IV.  Mr.  Otterbein  Accepts  the  Pastorate, 86 

V 


vi  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  V 

The  Otterbein  Church  in  Baltimore 

I.    The  Otterbein  Church  Formally  Organized,       ------       88 

II.    Mr.  Otterbein's  Rules  Accepted  by  the  Churches, 103 

CHAPTER  VI 

The  Movement  Toward  a  Separate  Church  Organization 

I.    The  Necessity  of  a  New  Movement, --105 

II.    Associates  in  the  Work, 113 

1.  Martin  Boehm, 113 

2.  George  Adana  Guething,        -- 116 

3.  Other  Helpers, 122 

CHAPTER  VII 

The  First  and  Second  Conferences 

I.  The  First  Formal  Conference— 1789, 132 

II.  The  First  Confession  of  Faith, 137 

III.  The  Disciplinary  Rules, 142 

IV.  The  Second  Formal  Conference  — 1791, 144 

CHAPTER  VIII 
Newcomer  and  Associates 

I.    Christian  Newcomer, 146 

II.    Abraham  Draksel,        ..-- --  154 

III.  John  Jacob  Pfrimmer, 156 

IV.  John  Neidig, 157 

THIRD  PERIOD  — 1800-1815 

CHAPTER  IX 
The  Confejkence  of  1800 

I.  Its  Importance, 160 

II.  Minutes  of  the  Conference, 162 

III.  The  Present  Name  of  the  Church  Adopted, 163 

IV.  Election  of  Bishops, 166 

CHAPTER  X 
The  Conferences  of  1801-1814 

I.    The  Conference  of  1801, 169 

II.    The  Conference  of  1802, 170 

III.  The  Conferences  of  1803  and  1804, 174 

IV.  The  Conference  of  1805, 175 

V.    The  Conferences  of  1806-1810, 178 

VI.    Organization  of  Miami  Annual  Conference,    ------      180 

VII.    The  Eastern  Conference  — Sessions  of  1811-1814, 180 

VIII.    The  Miami  Conference— Sessions  of  1810-1814, 184 

CHAPTER  XI 

Friendly  Correspondence 

I.    With  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,       -.---.-      187 
J  I.    With  the  Evangelical  Association,        --------192 


CONTENTS  vii 

CHAPTER  XII 

The  Departure  of  the  Leaders 

-       -       -      197 

I.    Bishop  Martin  Boehm, -     201 

II.    George  Adam  Guethiug, 

III.    Bishop  Philip  William  Otterbem, 

FOURTH  PERIOD  — 1815-1837 

CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  First  General  Conference— 1815 

217 

I.  Preparation  for  the  Conference, '       .     222 

II.  The  Conference, "       ".       "       "       "       '       '       '     oqr 

III.  The  Confession  of  Faith  and  Rules  of  Discipline  of  181o,      -       -       -     z^ 

IV.  Results  of  the  Conference,        "       "       "       "       " oon 

V.  The  German  the  Early  Language  of  the  Church,     "       "       "       '       "     ^ 
VI.    Personal  Notes, 232 

1.  Christian  Newcomer, '234 

2.  Andrew  Zeller, 235 

3.  Henry  Kumler,  Sen., „'       "      t"       J 

4  Other    Laborers  -  Daniel    Troyer- Christian    Berger- Jacob 

Baulus-George    Benedum- Christian    Crum-Abraham 
Mayer  — Henry  G.  Spayth, 237 

CHAPTER  XIV 
The  General  Conferences  of  1817-18:53 
I.    The  Second  General  Conference— 1817, 

II.  The  Third  General  Conference— 1821, 

Rule  on  Slavery  Adopted,  - 
Legislation  on  Temperance, 

III.  The  Fourth  General  Conference— 1825, 

IV.  The  Fifth  General  Conference— 1829, 
v'.    The  Sixth  General  Conference  — 1833, 

A  Publishing  House  Founded, 

VI.  Personal  Notes, '  --256 

1.  Joseph  Hoffman, I     257 

2.  Samuel  Hiestand, 

3.  William  Brown, 

FIFTH  PERIOD  — 1837-1885 
CHAPTER  XV 
The  General  Conferences  of  1837  and  1841 
I.    The  Seventh  General  Conference  — 1837,       -       -       -       " 
Adoption  of  a  Constitution, 


244 
246 
247 

248 
251 
253 
254 
255 
256 


258 


260 
261 
267 


II.    The  Eighth  General  Conference— 1841,  "■''"""_     268 

A  Second  Constitution  Adopted, "       ' 

The  Confession  of  Faith, 


271 

272 

Other  Business, "-273 

III.    Personal  Notes, .-273 

1.  Jacob  Erb, -      275 

2.  Henry  Kumler,  Jun., '       1       1     277 

3.  John  Coons, 


viii  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XVI 

The  General  Conferences  of  1845  and  1849 

I.  Extending  the  Boundaries, 279 

II.    The  Ninth  General  Conference— 1845, 280 

III.  The  Tenth  General  Conference— 1849, 282 

IV.  Personal  Notes, 284 

1.  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  D.D., 284 

2.  John  Russel, 291 

3.  William  Hanby, 295 

4.  David  Edwards,  D.D., 298 

CHAPTER  XVII 
The  General  Conferences  of  1853-1861 

I.    The  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  -       -       -       -  303 

II.  The  Removal  of  the  Publishing  House, 304 

III.  Lay  Representation, 305 

IV.  Total  Depravity, 306 

V.    Secret  Societies, 308 

VI.    The  Slavery  Question, 309 

VII.    Elections  of  Bishops, 310 

VIII.    Personal  Notes, 310 

1.  Lewis  Davis,  D.D., 310 

2.  Jacob   Markwood, --  316 

3.  Daniel  Shuck, 320 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

The  General  Conferences  of  1865-1881 

I.    A  Period  of  Progress, 323 

II.    Pi-o  Rata  Representation, 324 

III.  Lay  Representation, 326 

IV.  The  Secret-Society  Question, 330 

V.  Personal  Notes, ----333 

1.  Jonathan  Weaver,  D.D., 333 

2.  John  Dickson,  D.D., 338 

3.  Nicholas  Castle,  D.D., 341 

4.  Milton  Wright,  D.D.,       -       -       - 343 

5.  Ezekiel  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  LL.D., 345 


SIXTH  PERIOD— 1885-1897 

CHAPTER  XIX 

The  Nineteenth  General  Conference— 1885 

I.    The  Revision  Movement, -__  349 

The  Report  Authorizing  the  Church  Commission,    -       -       -       -  352 

II.    The  Rule  on  Secret  Societies, 3,55 

III.  The  Church  Commission  Chosen,  --_ 35g 

IV.  Personal  Notes, 357 

Daniel  Kumler  Flickinger,  D.D., 357 


CONTENTS  ix 

CHAPTER  XX 
The  Church  Commission 

I.    Preliminary, =       .       ...  360 

II.    The  Revised  Confession  of  Faith, 362 

III.  The  Amended  Constitution,     --- 365 

IV.  The  Plan  of  Submission, 367 

V.  Opposition  to  the  Revision, 369 

CHAPTER  XXI 
The  Twentieth  General  Conference— 1889 

I.    Preliminary, 372 

II.    Address  of  the  Bishops, 373 

III.  Report  of  the  Church  Commission, 375 

IV.  Approval  Recommended, 378 

V.    An  Olive  Branch, 380 

VI.  The  Proclamation  of  the  Bishops, 381 

VII.    A  Dramatic  Scene— The  Secession  of  the  Radicals,     -       -       -       -  382 

VIII.    The  Withdrawal  Recognized, 384 

IX.    Protests  Against  the  Commission  Work, 3.S5 

X.    Miscellaneous  —  Lay    Delegation— Licensing    Women  —  Quarterly 

Review  — Historical  Society  — Elections, 386 

XI.    Personal  Notes, 387 

James  W.  Hott,  D.D.,  LL.D., 387 

CHAPTER  XXII 

A  Period  of  Litigation 

I.    The  Publishing  House  Suit, 391 

II.    Other  Supreme  Court  Decisions,  ---------  395 

CHAPTER  XXIII 
The  Twenty-First  General  Conference  — 1893 

I.    Lay  Delegates, 399 

II.    Time  Limit  Removed, -400 

III.    Personal  Notes, -400 

J.  S.  Mills,  D.D.,  Ph.D., 400 


PART    11 

Departments  of  Church  Work 

CHAPTER  I 

The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House 

I.    Private  Enterprise, 405 

II.    The  Publishing  House  Organized, 407 

III.  The  Removal  to  Dayton, 408 

IV.  Material  Development, 409 

1.  Finances, 409 

2.  Buildings  and  Equipment, 411 

3.  Departments, 411 


X  CONTENTS 

V.    The  Periodical  Publications, 412 

1.  The  Religious  Telescope, 412 

2.  The  Sunday-School  Periodicals, 413 

3.  The  German  Periodicals, 414 

4.  The  Waichivord, 415 

5.  Magazine  Literature, 416 

6.  Missionary  Publications, 417 

VI.    Book  Publications, 417 

VII.    The  Publishing  Agents, 418 

VIII.    Some  of  the  Editors, 420 

IX.    Board  of  Trustees, 423 

CHAPTER  II 

The  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  and  Its  Work 

I.    The  Home  and  Frontier  Field, 424 

II.    The  Mission  in  Africa, 434 

The  Training  School, 445 

A  Home  of  Rest, 446 

III.  The  Mission  in  Germany, 447 

IV.  The  Mission  in  Japan, -  447 

V.    Change  in  Organization, -  450 

VI.    Summary, 450 

VII.    General  Officers  of  the  Society, 451 

CHAPTER  III 
The  Church-Erection  Society 

I.    Organization, .-454 

II.    Progress  and  Work, -  455 

CHAPTER  IV 

The  Woman's  Missionary  Association 

I.    Organization, --  459 

II.    The  Mission  in  Africa, -462 

III.  A  Mission  in  Germany, -469 

IV.  The  Chinese  Missions,     - -  470 

1.  The  Mission  in  Portland,  Oregon, 470 

2.  The  Mission  in  China, 472 

V.    The  Woman^s  Evangel, 474 

VI.    Executive  Officers, -  475 

VII.    Summary, 475 

CHAPTER  V 
Colleges  and  Academies 

I.    Introductory, 477 

II.    Otterbein  University, 485 

III.  Western  College, 495 

IV.  Westfield  College, 501 

V.    Lane  University, 503 

VI,    Lebanon  Valley  College, 506 

VII.    Philomath  College, 509 

VIII.    Avalon  College, 511 

IX.    San  Joaquin  Valley  College, 513 


CONTENTS  xi 

X.  Union  College, -       -       -       -  515 

XI.  York  College, 516 

XII.  Shenandoah  Institute, 518 

XIII.  Edwards  Academy, 519 

XIV.  Erie  Conference  Seminary, 520 

XV.  Other  Institutions, 521 

CHAPTER  VI 
Union  Biblical  Seminary 

I.  The  Founding, 523 

II.    Graduates,    - 526 

III.  Admission  of  Women, 527 

IV.  The  Faculty, 527 

V.    Building  and  Finances, 529 

CHAPTER  VII 

The  Board  of  Education 

Origin,  Purpose,  and  Work, --531 

CHAPTER  VIII 
Sunday-School  Work 

I.    A  View  of  the  Earlier  Work, 533 

II.    A  General  Organization, ---537 

CHAPTER  IX 
The  Young  People's  Christian  Union 

I.    Organization, 541 

II.    Progress  and  Work, 546 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Church 

Origin  and  Purpose, 549 

CHAPTER  XI 

The  Historical  Society 

Organization  and  Work, 551 

PART  III 

The  Annual  Conferences 

CHAPTER  I 
A  Group  of  Early  Conferences 

I.    The  Original  Conference, 555 

II.  The  Miami  Conference, 556 

III.  The  Muskingum  Conference, 559 

IV.  The  Scioto  Conference, 560 

V.    The  Indiana  Conference, 563 

VI.  The  Virginia  Conference, 564 

VII.  The  Pennsylvania  Conference, 567 

VIII.  The  East  Pennsylvania  Conference, 571 

IX.  The  Allegheny  Conference, 573 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


X.    The  Sandusky  Conference, 577 

XI.    The  Upper  Wabash  Conference, 580 

XII.    The  Lower  Wabash  Conference, 583 

CHAPTER  II 

Other  Conferences  Organized  from  18:35  to  1853 

I.    The  Iowa  Conference, 585 

II.    The  St.  Joseph  Conference, 587 

III.  The  Illinois  Conference, 588 

IV.  The  White  River  Conference, 589 

V.    The  North  Ohio  Conference, 590 

VI.    The  Ohio  German  Conference, 591 

VII.    The  Auglaize  Conference, 593 

VIII.    The  Rock  River  Conference, 594 

IX.    The  Kentucky  Conference, 595 


CHAPTER  III 

Conferences  Organized  Since  1853 

I.  The  Erie  Conference, 597 

II.  The  Oregon  Conference, 598 

III.  The  Ontario  Conference,  - 599 

IV.  The  Parkersburg  Conference, 600 

V.  The  Kansas  Conference, 601 

VI.    The  Minnesota  Conference, -      603 

VII.    The  Missouri  Conference,        - -      604 

VIII.  The  Wisconsin  Conference,     ---------605 

IX.    The  California  Conference, 607 

X.    The  Des  Moines  Conference, -608 

XI.    The  Michigan  Conference,       - 610 

XII.    The  Central  Illinois  Conference, 611 

XIII.  The  Columbia  River  Conference, -      612 

XIV.  The  Tennessee  Conference, -613 

XV.    The  East  German  Conference, -615 

XVI.    The  Neosho  Conference, --6I6 

XVII.    The  Elkborn  and  Dakota  Conference, 617 

XVIII.    The  Colorado  Conference, 618 

XIX.    The  East  Nebraska  Conference, -      619 

XX.    The  West  Nebraska  Conference, -620 

XXI.    The  North  Michigan  Conference, -      621 

XXII.    The  Central  Ohio  Conference, 622 

XXIII.  The  Nortliwest  Kansas  Conference, -      624 

XXIV.  The  Arkansas  Valley  Conference, 625 

XXV.    The  Southern  Missouri  Conference, -      625 

XXVI.    The  East  Ohio  Conference, 626 

XXVII.    The  Maryland  Conference, 628 

XXVI II.    The  Southwest  Kansas  Conference, 629 

XXIX.    The  Chickamauga  Conference, 630 

XXX.    The  Tennessee  River  Conference, 630 

XXXI.    The  Foreign  Conferences, 631 

1.  The  Germany  Conference, -  631 

2.  The  Sherbro  Conference, 632 

3.  The  Work  in  Japan  and  China,       ------  632 

Conclusion, --633 


CONTEyrS  xiii 

PART  IV 

Historical  and  Statistical  Tables 

I.    General  Officers, 637 

II.    General  Church  Boards, 640 

III.  Educational  Institutions,     -       - Wl 

IV.  The  Church,       .       -       -       - 641 

Historical  Outline, 641 

Growth  in  Membership,         - 642 

General  Conferences, 642 

Organization  of  Annual  Conferences, 642 

Statistics  for  1896, - 644 

Comparative  Statistics,  1813-1896, 646 

Statistics  as  Given  by  Census  of  189U,  by  States,         -       -       -       -  649 

Summary  of  Church  Property, 649 

Sunday  Schools, 650 

Ordination  of  Bishops, - 650 

BlBLIOGKAPHY, 651 

Appendices— 

I.  — Changes  in  the  Confession  of  Faith, 657 

II.— Decisions  of  the  Supreme  and  Circuit  Courts  in  the  Publishing 

House  Suit, 665 

IXDEX, 675 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Wii>J.iAM  Ottekbein,! -        -     Frontispiece 

OPPOSITE   PAGE 

DlLLENBURG   IN   THE   EIGHTEENTH    CENTURY,          -          ------  20 

WII.I.IAM  Otterbein,2 28 

Martin  Boehm,         - ...-----  W 

Isaac  Long's  Barn,         -------       - 80 

Otterbein's  Church,  Baltimore, 88 

Otterbein's  Church  and  Tomb  in  1897,-              - 89 

Home  of  Peter  Kemp, -       - 1^ 

Bonnet's  School-House,              - 223 

Joseph  Hoffman, '^'^ 

William  Brown,      ------- 276 

Jacob  Erb, -'^ 

Henry  Kumler,  Jun., - 276 

John  Coons,        -              - 277 

John  Russel,     ------- 277 

William  Hanby',      - -       -       -       -  277 

Lewis  Davis,      ----- -  277 

Jacob  J.  Glossbrenner,        - -       -       -  284 

David  Edwards,       ----- 298 

Jacob  Markwood,           - -  322 

John  Dickson, ^22 

William  R.  Rhinehart, 322 

John  C.  Bright, -       -       -       -  322 

Solomon  Vonnieda, - ^23 

William  Mittendorf,  -       -----       - 323 

David  L.  Rike,  -       -  -       - 


323 
323 


Jacob  Hoke, - 

Jonathan  Weaver, -       -------  334 

The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House  in  1897,* 405 

The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House  at  Circleville,     -       -       -  412 

The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House  at  Dayton  in  1854,        -       -  413 

Otterbein  University  — Main  Building, ^88 

Christian  Association  Building,  Otterbein  University,        -       -       -  489 

Western  College  — Main  Building, 496 

Union  Biblical  Seminary,        - '^28 

John  Kemp, ..-------  r»29 

»A  steel  engraving  from  an  oil  painting  from  life  by  Jarvis,  the  original 
being  in  possession  of  Mr.  George  Hottinan,  of  Leesburg,  Virginia,  for  whose 
grandfather,  Mr.  Peter  Hoffman,  a  vestryman  in  Otterbein's  church,  the  paint- 
ing was  made,  in  October,  1810. 

2 From  a  lithograph  ba.sed  upon  an  oil  painting  in  possession  of  the  Metho- 
dist Historical  Society  at  Baltimore,  Maryland. 

XV 


PART  1 

GENERAL  HISTORY 


HISTORY  OF  THE  CHURCH 

OF  THE 

United  Brethren  in  Christ 

PART  I 

GENERAL  HISTORY 

Introductory  Period— 1752-1774 
preliminary 

The  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  had  its 
origin  in  the  revival  movement  which  prevailed  in 
America  during  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  and  the 
earlier  years  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  state  of 
religion  in  the  colonies  previous  to  this  revival  period  had 
fallen  to  a  very  low  plane.  The  historic  New  England 
revival,  in  which  Jonathan  Edwards  was  a  leading  figure, 
popularly  called  "The  Great  Awakening,"  was  followed  by 
a  strong  reaction,  and  spirituality  had  declined  to  a  con- 
dition lower  if  possible  than  in  the  period  preceding. 
Elsewhere  in  the  colonies  the  same  unhappy  conditions 
existed.  Dead  formalism  in  the  church  services  and  open 
and  unrebuked  immorality  among  communicants  broadly 
prevailed.  The  great  revival  in  the  British  Islands, 
under  John  and  Charles  Wesley  and  their  assisting  lay 
preachers,  was  not  yet  felt  on  the  western  side  of  the 
great  waters.  The  brief  visit  of  the  Wesleys  to  Georgia, 
in  the  early  beginnings  of  their  career,  was  undertaken 
chiefly  as  a  mission  to  the  Indians  of    that  colony,  and 

2  17 


18  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

but  little  permanent  fruit  resulted.  The  visits  of  George 
Whitefield  to  the  same  colony  were  extended  northward 
along  the  Atlantic  Coast  as  far  as  Maine,  and  wherever 
he  went  his  preaching  awakened  the  profoundest  interest. 
Whether  cooperating,  as  he  did,  with  Edwards,  or  pushing 
his  extended  journeys  up  and  down  the  line  of  the  colonies, 
thousands  hastened  to  hear  his  brilliant  eloquence,  and 
everywhere  religious  enthusiasm  was  kindled  to  a  white 
heat.  But  notwithstanding  all  this  apparent  success,  and 
the  fact  that  many  hundred  professed  conversion  under 
his  preaching,  and  that  in  his  burning  zeal  he  thirteen 
times  crossed  the  Atlantic,  it  remains  true  that  soon  after 
his  death  the  work  lapsed  so  effectually  that  Methodism 
does  not  date  its  origin  in  America  to  the  visits  of  any 
of  these  distinguished  apostles  of  that  period. 

It  was  about  this  time,  in  the  opening  years  of  the 
second  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  that  a  young  man 
of  scholarly  accomplishments,  and  a  heart  burning  with 
holy  zeal,  came  as  a  missionary  to  America,  who,  after 
his  more  perfect  enlightenment  and  deeper  experience  in 
the  mysteries  of  the  gospel,  was  to  become,  under  the 
direction  of  Divine  Providence,  the  principal  founder  of 
the  Church  of  whose  origin  and  progressive  development 
these  pages  are  to  speak, — the  Rev.  Philip  William 
Otterbein.  The  early  history  of  any  denomination  is 
largely  the  history  of  the  men  under  whose  labors  such 
denomination  took  form.  Hence  the  story  of  the  founding 
will  be  best  told  by  a  sketch  of  some  of  the  men  whose 
w^ork  assumed  the  larger  proportions,  with  such  review  of 
their  labors  as  may  be  practicable.  And  here  we  are 
met,  at  the  outset,  with  a  fact  that  has  proved  a  most 
serious  difficulty  to  the  historians  of  nearly  all  the  older 
religious  denominations — the  extreme  paucity  of  materials 
in   the   earlier   periods   of  their   history.     In  the  case  of 


PRELIMINARY  19 

the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  this  is 
conspicuously  true.  The  founders  of  the  Church  for  a 
long  time  had  little  thought  of  forming  an  independent 
church  organization,  and  when  once  Providence  so  clearly 
marked  out  their  course  that  they  could  not  do  otherwise 
than  take  those  steps  which  must  lead  to  a  separate  denom- 
inational life,  they  for  the  most  part  gave  themselves  little 
concern  as  to  what  the  world  coming  after  them  should 
know  of  their  personal  history,  or  of  the  labors  they 
undertook,  and  the  rich  vintage  which,  through  great  toil 
and  sacrifice,  they  succeeded  in  gathering  for  the  Master. 


CHAPTER  I 

PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN 

I.       PARENTAGE,    BIRTH,    AND    EARLY    YEARS    OF 
MR.    OTTERBEIN. 

Philip  William  Otterbein,  whose  name  stands  con- 
spicuous above  the  names  of  his  fellow-laborers  as  the 
founder  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Dillenburg,  in  the  duchy  of  Nassau,  Germany, 
on  the  third  day  of  June,^  1726.  This  town  of  Dihen- 
burg  was  for  several  centuries,  in  the  older  Germany,  of 
considerable  importance,  being  the  place  of  residence  of  a 
long  line  of  princes,  some  of  whom  gained  note  in  history. 
Nassau,  bordering  in  part  on  the  river  Rhine,  and  now 
known  on  the  map  as  Wiesbaden,  is  one  of  the  most  fertile 
districts  of  Germany.  It  embraces  an  area  of  a  little  over 
eighteen  hundred  square  miles,  and  contains  at  the  present 
time  a  population  of  about  half  a  million,  the  greater 
number  of  whom  are  Protestants.  Besides  furnishing,  in 
the  earlier  times,  an  emperor  to  Germany,  it  reached  also 

1  Several  different  dates  have  been  named  as  the  time  of  Otterbein's  birth. 
A  Baltimore  daily,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  gave  the  date  as  June  2.  The 
Inscription  on  his  tomb  in  the  cemetery  connected  with  the  old  Otterbein 
Church  in  Baltimore  gives  the  date  as  June  4.  This  seems  to  follow  the  creden- 
tials given  him  by  the  faculty  at  Herborn  when  he  was  about  to  start  for 
America.  The  baptismal  record  preserved  in  the  old  church  at  Dillenburg 
gives  June  3  as  the  day,  tlie  ceremony  of  baptism  occurring  on  June  6.  Rev. 
Henry  G.  Spayth,  in  his  "History  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,"  gives 
March  G  as  the  date  ;  upon  what  authority  is  not  now  known.  I,  D.  Rupp 
gives  November  6.  In  all  these  varying  dates  there  is  no  disagreement  as  to 
the  year— that  is,  1726.  Since  the  baptism  occurred  but  three  days  after  the 
birth,  every  presumption  seems  to  favor  the  date  given  in  tlie  old  record  as 
the  correct  one.  A  transcript  of  this  record  appears  in  the  Life  of  Otterbein 
by  Prof.  A.  W.  Drury.  See  Dr.  A.  W.  Drury's  Life  of  Philip  William  Otterbein, 
pp.  24,  25;  also  p.  22  in  this  volume. 

20 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  21 

the  higher  distinction  of  giving  to  Europe  the  hne  of  the 
Orange  princes.  The  conditions  of  chmate  and  soil  and 
the  relationship  of  boundaries  were  favorable  to  the  pro- 
duction of  a  sturdy,  intelligent,  and  thrifty  population,  and 
such  were  the  characteristics  of  its  inhabitants  from  an 
early  period. 

The  town  of  Dillenburg  is  picturesquely  situated  on 
the  river  Dille,  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  The  town 
is  built  on  the  sloping  land  bordering  on  the  river,  while 
the  ancient  castle  stood  on  the  liill  overlooking  the  river 
and  valley.  This  castle  stood  in  the  time  when  Mr. 
Otterbein  was  born,  and  for  over  thirty  years  longer,  as 
the  proud  defense  of  the  city.  It  was  the  home  of  an 
illustrious  line  of  princes,  among  whom  was  counted  Wil- 
ham  the  Silent,  who  was  born  within  its  walls,  and 
inheriting  large  possessions  in  the  Netherlands  achieved 
the  independence  of  that  country.  In  1760  this  castle 
yielded  to  the  assaults  of  the  French,  and  after  remaining 
for  more  than  a  century  a  dreary  ruin,  it  was  succeeded 
by  a  noble  monument  to  the  memory  of  William,  erected 
jointly  by  the  people  of  Holland  and  Nassau.  The 
monument  was  dedicated  in  June,  1875. 

But  we  are  for  the  present  interested  more  in  a  plain 
but  substantial  old  home  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  than  in 
this  proud  palace  of  the  early  rulers,-  just  as  the  humble 
manger  and  its  lowly  surroundings  of  an  ancient  town  in 
Judea  hold  for  us  a  stronger  fascination  than  the  stately 
dwelhngs  or  the  royal  courts  of  imperial  Jerusalem ;  a 
home  from  whose  door  came  forth  no  mailed  warrior,  armed 
with  sword  or  spear,  but  instead  a  divinely  appointed 
messenger,  whose  service  should  be  rich  with  blessing  to 
his  fellow-men  for  generations  to  come.  Just  to  the  right 
of  the  castle,  as  seen  in  our  illustration,  and  in  the  rear 
of  the  church,  whose  spire  points  toward  heaven,  remains 


22  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

to  this  day  the  soHdly  built  house  in  which  the  Otterbein 
family  for  a  number  of  years  resided,  and  in  which  Mr. 
Otterbein  first  opened  his  eyes  to  the  light.  Close  to  this 
old  residence  stands  also  the  building  in  which  was  kept 
the  Reformed  Latin  school  over  which  Mr.  Otterbein's 
father  was  principal.  The  church  is  Reformed,  and  in  its 
archives  remains  the  record  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  birth  and 
baptism.^  The  population  of  Dillenburg  in  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century  was  about  three  thousand.  This 
number  has  been  but  slightly  advanced  since  then,  being 
now  about  four  thousand. 

II.       THE    OTTERBEIN    FAMILY. 

The  prophet  Isaiah  directed  the  people  of  his  time  to 
look  back  to  the  rock  whence  they  were  hewn,  and  to 
the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  they  were  digged,  to  Abraham 
their  father,  and  to  Sarah  that  bare  them.^  And  so  it 
may  be  profitable  for  us  here  to  look  to  the  family  and 
surroundings  from  which  God  brought  forth  that  man 
of  refined  and  thorough  culture,  and  of  deep  and  fervent 
spirituality,  who  was  to  achieve  so  blessed  a  work  in  the 
New  AVorld,  and  whose  memory  was  to  be  so  lovingly 
embalmed  in  the  hearts  of  so  many  thousands. 

The  history  of  the  Otterbein  family  is  preserved  from 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  was  in  the 
year  1G50  that  John  Otterbein  came  to  Dillenburg,  and 
was  appointed  to  the  office  of  court-trumpeter.  One 
of  his  sons,  Charles  Frederick,  marrying  the  daughter  of 

»The  following  is  the  entry:  "To  Mr.  John  Daniel  Otterbein,  pra^ceptori 
primario  [rector,  or  principal]  of  the  Latin  school,  and  Mrs.  Wilhelmina 
Henrietta,  were  born  twins  on  the  third  of  Juno,  early  in  the  morning  at 
two  o'clock.  The  older  is  a  son,  and  the  second  a  daughter.  Both  were  bap- 
tized on  the  sixth  of  June.  The  godfather  for  the  son  was  Philip  William 
Keller,  steward  of  the  kitchen  [Kiichenmeister]  to  the  court;  the  godmother 
for  the  second,  wife  of  Mr.  John  Martin  Keller,  butler  [Kellermeister]  to  the 
court.  The  son  w^as  called  Philip  William,  and  the  daughter  Anna  Margaret." 
—  Drury's  ii/eo/  Otterbein,  p.  25. 

«Isa.  51:  1,2. 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  23 

Pastor  Hatzfeldt,  of  Driedorf,  became  the  father  of  John 
Daniel,  and  through  him  the  grandfather  of  PhiUp  Wil- 
liam Otterbein.  The  strong  religious  instinct  which  so 
notably  distinguished  the  Otterbein  name,  began  to  have 
a  decided  development  in  the  family  of  Charles  Frederick, 
two  of  his  six  children  becoming  ministers.  From  this 
time  forward  for  several  generations  the  family  abounds 
with  names  distinguished  alike  for  learning  and  piety. 
Thus  Mr.  Otterbein's  grandfather,  his  father,  and  his 
father's  brother  were  ministers,  as  were  also  his  brothers, 
five  in  number,  and  the  four  sons  of  Ins  oldest  brother. 

John  Daniel,  the  father  of  Philip  William  Otterbein, 
was  born  two  centuries  ago,  on  the  sixth  of  September^ 
1696.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  culture  and  abilities,  and 
became  principal  of  the  Reformed  Latin  school  in  the 
place  of  his  birth.  His  learning  was  recognized  by 
the  faculty  at  Herborn  in  an  official  document,  the 
original  of  which  is  yet  preserved.  On  his  mother's  side 
Mr.  Otterbein  was  equally  favored  in  the  endowment 
which  comes  with  birth.  Wilhelmina  Henrietta,  the 
daughter  of  John  Jacob  Hoerlen,  who  became  the  wife 
of  John  Daniel  Otterbein,  was  a  woman  of  rare  intel- 
lectual and  spiritual  worth,  as  well  as  of  fine  personal 
accomplishments,  and  was  eminently  fitted  by  her  natural 
and  acquired  gifts  to  train  to  manhood  a  son  who  was 
destined  to  so  illustrious  a  mission  in  life.  The  hon- 
ored faculty  at  Herborn,  the  school  in  which  his  sons 
were  educated,  and  in  which  Mr.  Otterbein  was  for  a  time 
a  preceptor,  spoke  of  her  in-  an  official  paper  in  terms  of 
highest  commendation.  But  we  see  the  triumph  of  her 
heroic  qualities  rather  in  the  successful  rearing  of  her  large 
family,  after  the  early  death  of  her  husband,  her  six  sons 
completing  the  full  course  of  study,  literary  and  theo- 
logical, required  in  the  school  at  Herborn,  and  all  of  them 


24  THE  UNITED  BBETHBEN  IN  CHRIST 

becoming  ministers  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Nothing  could 
give  stronger  proof  of  high  moral  and  intellectual  char- 
acter, as  well  as  of  the  deeper  maternal  and  religious 
instincts,  than  the  ability  to  exert  such  an  influence  over 
a  large  family  of  sons,  and  lead  them,  without  an  excep- 
tion, to  so  honorable  a  goal.  The  one  daughter  whom  she 
reared  gave  proof  of  the  same  type  of  character  as  the  sons, 
in  becoming  the  wife  of  a  Reformed  minister. 

Mr.  Otterbein's  father,  having  served  in  the  Latin  school 
at  Dillenburg  for  a  period  of  nine  years,  accepted,  in  the 
spring  of  1728,  the  pastoral  care  of  two  congregations,  one 
at  Frohnhausen,  and  the  other  at  Wissenbach.  Frohn- 
hausen  was  situated  three  miles  north  of  Dillenburg,  and 
being  the  larger  of  the  tw^o  places,  he  removed  there.  His 
pastorate  here  continued  for  fourteen  years,  when  it  w^as 
terminated  by  his  death,  in  1742.  Philip  William,  the 
second  of  the  sons  who  lived  to  maturit}^,  was  at  the  time 
of  the  removal  to  Frohnhausen  not  quite  two  years  old, 
and  was  about  sixteen  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death. 
All  the  younger  children  were  born  in  Frohnhausen,  and 
at  the  time  of  the  father's  death  the  youngest  w^as  only 
four  years  old.  Only  slender  means  w^ere  left  for  the 
future  support  of  the  mother  and  family,  but  Mrs. 
Otterbein,  while  she  could  have  remained  for  a  year  in 
the  parsonage,  decided  to  remove  at  once  to  Herborn, 
where  the  education  of  her  children,  broken  off  by  the 
father's  untimely  death,  could  be  continued  under  favor- 
able conditions.  In  1744  the  oldest  son,  John  Henry, 
then  twenty -two  years  of  age, 'received  an  appointment  as 
teacher  in  Herborn,  which  brouglit  him  an  income  equal 
to  one-half  his  father's  salary,  and  the  year  following 
he  was  made  vicar  at  Ockersdorf  In  1748,  six  years 
after  the  death  of  his  father,  Philip  William,  then  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  was  made  a  preceptor  in  Herborn.     The 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  25 

income  of  his  older  brother  had  all  been  given  for  the 
support  of  the  family  and  the  education  of  its  younger 
members,  and  that  of  Philip  William  was  now  added  for 
the  same  object  until,  several  years  later,  he  set  sail  for  his 
new  field  of  labor  in  America.  Thus  the  noble  spirit  of 
the  older  sons  was  manifested  in  the  assistance  which 
they  gave  to  the  mother  and  the  younger  children, 
enabling  the  younger  sons  as  they  grew  up  to  enter  upon 
the  same  advantages  which  the  toils  and  sacrifices  of  the 
mother  had  secured  for  them.  The  third  son,  when  he 
reached  maturity,  received  a  like  appointment  in  the 
school,  and,  like  his  older  brothers,  devoted  his  earnings 
to  the  support  of  the  mother  and  the  education  of  the 
children  who  were  below  him  in  age. 

To  John  Daniel  and  Wilhelmina  Henrietta  Otterbein 
there  were  born  ten  children — seven  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Two  of  the  daughters  died  in  infancy,  and 
one  son  at  twelve  years  of  age.  The  remaining  six  sons 
all  lived  to  maturity,  and,  as  already  noted,  all  became 
ministers,  their  ages  at  death  ranging  from  sixty-eight  to 
eighty-seven,  the  last  being  the  age  of  William.  Three 
of  them  became  authors,  publishing  works  on  various 
subjects.  George  Godfrey,  the  fourth  son,  energetically 
opposed  the  rising  tide  of  the  rationalism  of  that  day. 
He  published  three  volumes  on  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism. His  writings  on  this  and  other  subjects,  it  is 
said,  were  of  a  high  order,  and  some  of  them  found 
their  way  to  America.  John  Daniel,  the  fifth  son,  also 
author  of  a  work  on  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  was  pro- 
moted to  a  seat  in  the  consistory.  John  Charles,  the 
third  son,  spent  his  entire  mature  life  at  Herborn,  and 
in  connection  with  the  school,  being  teacher  or  professor 
in  the  institution  to  the  end  of  his  life,  for  ten  years  its 
co-rector,  or  vice-president,  and  during  the  last  seventeen 


26  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

years  its  rector,  or  president.  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  this 
son  to  take  affectionate  care  of  the  mother  of  this  noble 
family  in  her  later  years,  she,  like  her  sons,  dying  at  an 
advanced  age.^ 

III.       THE    SCHOOL    AT   HERBORN. 

Herborn  was  a  small  town  contiguous  to  Dillenburg  and 
Frohnhausen,  being  situated  about  three  miles  south  from 
the  former.  It  contained  about  twenty-five  hundred  in- 
habitants. Of  the  noted  school  at  this  j^lace,  in  which  the 
sons  of  the  Otterbein  family  were  educated,  and  which 
contributed  in  so  great  a  degree  in  developing  the  high 
type  of  character  to  which  they  attained,  something  further 
is  here  to  be  said.  The  school  was  founded  in  the  year 
1584,  a  little  over  four  centuries  ago,  and  while  the  fires  of 
the  Reformation  were  yet  warmly  burning.  Its  professors 
were  men  of  decided  character,  distinguished  alike  for 
sound  learning  and  for  a  distinct  apprehension  of  the 
meaning  of  a  spiritual  Christianity.  The  school  embraced 
the  several  departments  belonging  to  institutions  of  the 
higher  grades  at  that  time,  and  while  it  did  not  quite 
reach,  it  approached  nearly  in  type  to  the  German  uni- 
versity. Its  theological  course  is  said  to  have  been  rather 
more  full  than  those  of  the  theological  seminaries  of  the 
present  time. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  names  of  its  professors  in 
the  time  to  which  our  history  belongs,  were  those  of  Dr. 
John  Henry  Schramm,  Dr.  Valentine  Arnold,  and  Dr.  John 
Eberhardt  Rau.  Dr.  Schramm  was  the  head  of  the  insti- 
tution, and  was  at  the  same  time  chief  pastor  of  the  local 
church  at  Herborn.  He  was  especially  distinguished  for 
his  clear  conception  of  the  spiritual  and  practical  aspects 
of  the  Christian  faith.     Dr.  Arnold,  born  at  Dillenburg  in 

1  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  31-34. 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  27 

1712,  had  been  a  student  in  the  Latin  school  under  John 
Daniel  Otterbein,  and  formed  a  special  attachment  to  the 
son,  Philip  William.  Dr.  Drury,  in  his  Life  of  Otterbein, 
remarks  of  him  that  he  "was  a  man  of  lovely  and  noble 
character,  a  man  of  faith  and  zeal,"  and  that  "he  attained 
renown  in  Oriental  and  rabbinical  literature."  Dr.  Rau 
also  acquired  distinction  as  a  scholar  in  Oriental  learning, 
and  wrote  a  number  of  volumes  on  Oriental  subjects. 
These  men,  further,  were  in  intimate  correspondence  with 
the  most  spiritual  of  the  theologians  of  the  Netherlands,  as 
well  as  with  men  of  like  character  in  other  parts  of  con- 
tinental Europe,  and  in  the  British  Islands.  The  writings 
of  Philip  Doddridge,  which  exerted  so  wholesome  an 
influence  in  quickening  a  deeper  piety,  were  read  by  them 
with  pleasure  and  commended  to  their  students.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  while  the  best  opportunities  for  scholastic 
attainment  were  presented  to  Mr.  Otterbein,  the  spiritual 
influences  in  the  school  combined  with  those  of  his  pious 
home  to  develop  in  him  those  high  ideas  of  spiritual  life 
which  proved  so  potent  an  agency  in  the  great  work 
upon  which  he  was  to  enter  in  the  field  for  which  God 
was  preparing  him.  It  will  be  in  place  to  add  here  that, 
while  the  theology  of  the  Reformed  Church  was  sub- 
stantially Calvinistic,  the  peculiar  tenets  of  that  form  of 
faith  were  held  less  rigidly  at  Ilerborn,  as  indeed  among 
German  scholars  generally,  than  they  were  in  Holland 
and  other  parts  of  Europe.  This  fact  may  account  in 
some  degree  for  the  readiness  with  which  Mr.  Otterbein 
found  himself  able,  in  more  advanced  life,  to  enter  into 
harmonious  fellowship  with  men  educated  in  other  schools 
of  faith,  but  partaking  of  the  same  earnest  spiritual  life, 
and  in  time  to  become  the  founder  and  chief  leader  of  a 
church  whose  faith  found  expression  in  Arminian  sym- 
bols. 


28  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

IV.       WORK    IN    HERBORN    AND    OCKERSDORF. 

It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  in  Germany  for  candidates 
for  the  holy  ministry,  after  leaving  college,  to  spend  some 
time  as  private  instructors  in  families  of  wealth  and  sta- 
tion. A  special  advantage  thus  secured  was  a  degree  of 
experience  in  teaching  which  fitted  them  the  better  for 
the  work  of  catechetical  instruction  in  the  congregations 
of  which  they  might  afterward  become  pastors.  Mr. 
Otterbein,  in  accordance  with  this  custom,  spent  a  short 
time  as  a  "house-teacher,"  in  the  duchy  of  Berg,  about 
one  hundred  miles  from  Herborn.  He  was,  however,  soon 
called  back  to  service  in  the  institution  which  had  given 
him  his  education.  Meanwhile,  perhaps  from  considera- 
tions of  modesty,  he  had  not  presented  himself  in  an 
official  way  as  a  candidate  for  sacred  orders.  His  appoint- 
ment as  a  preceptor  in  Herborn  made  it  necessary  to  take 
this  step,  and  he  passed  the  required  examination.  This 
was  in  1748,  and  he  was  now  nearly  twenty -two  years  of 
age.  About  a  year  later  he  was  appointed  by  the  con- 
sistory at  Dillenburg  to  the  position  of  vicar  at  Ockersdorf, 
his  older  brother  having  accepted  a  charge  at  another 
place.  This  made  it  necessary  that  he  receive  full  ordi- 
nation as  a  minister,  and  he  was  accordingly  ordained  in 
the  old  church  at  Dillenburg  on  June  13,  1749.^ 

Ockersdorf  was  a  small  village  about  a  mile  from  Her- 
born, and  was  under  the  charge  of  the  second  pastor  at 
Herborn.  There  was  only  one  church  in  Herborn,  not- 
withstanding the  considerable  size  of  the  town.  Dr. 
Arnold  was  chief  pastor.  Both  of  these  churches  were 
served  by  the  professors  in  the  school,  and  Mr.  Otterbein 
now  performed  the  twofold  duties  of  teacher  and  pastor. 
In  addition  to  his  Sabbath  preaching  he  was  required  to 
preach  also  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  each  month,  and  on 

>  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  44. 


^- 


i 


iJDOiuit^v 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  29 

festival  days.  But,  what  may  be  a  surprise  to  some 
readers,  he  was  also  required  to  hold  a  weekly  meeting 
for  prayer,  an  unusual  form  of  service  in  the  churches  of 
Germany  then  as  now.  Was  it  here  that  he  received  a  part 
of  that  special  practical  experience  which  proved  so 
effectual  in  his  evangelistic  work  in  America  when  he 
entered  upon  this  broader  field?  Thus  Mr.  Otterbein  was 
made  familiar  from  the  beginning  of  his  ministerial  life 
with  this  form  of  service,  which  has  proved  so  invaluable 
in  encouraging  a  deeper  devotional  spirit  in  the  church.^ 
This  twofold  relation  as  pastor  and  preceptor  Mr. 
Otterbein  sustained  for  a  period  of  four  years,  until  he 
was  called  to  become  a  missionary  to  America,  his  duties 
also  requiring  him  to  preach  statedly  at  another  small 
village,  near  Ockersdorf,  and  in  Herborn.  To  this  work 
he  brought  the  full  measure  of  his  youthful  zeal.  He  was 
himself  profoundly  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ,  and  of  the  necessity  for  a  pure  life  and  an 
earnest  religious  spirit.  This  was  in  accordance  wdth  the 
training  of  his  devout  mother,  and  in  harmony  with  the 
teaching  he  had  received  from  the  evangelical  men  who 
occupied  the  chairs  of  the  Herborn  school.  But  it  was 
not  to  be  expected  that  there  would  be  a  unanimous 
response  of  approval  from  the  people  to  whom  he  preached. 
The  stern  rebukes  of  sin  in  high  and  in  humbler  life,  and 
the  earnest  exhortations  to  forsake  their  evil-doing  and 
enter  upon  a  purer  life  and  into  a  deeper  spiritual  expe- 
rience, naturally  awakened  opposition  on  the  part  of  some 
of  his  hearers.  So  strong  did  this  adverse  feeling  become 
that  some  of  the  opposers  invoked  the  authorities  to  put 
a  check  upon  him.  Others,  however,  warmly  welcomed 
his  earnest  messages,  and  gave  him  their  hearty  support. 
His    pious    mother,    deeply   moved    by    these    oppositions 

>  See  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  42-4G. 


30  THE  UNITED  BEETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

against  her  son,  and  with  a  wise  discernment  of  the  true 
situation,  said  :  "  Ah,  Wilham,  I  expected  this,  and  give 
you  joy.  This  place  is  too  narrow  for  you,  my  son ; 
they  will  not  receive  you  here ;  you  will  find  your 
work  elsewhere."  She  was  also  sometimes  heard  to  say, 
as  with  the  instinct  of  an  interpreter  of  the  divine  pur- 
poses, ''  My  William  will  have  to  be  a  missionary  ;  he  is 
so  frank,  so  open,  so  natural,  so  prophet-like."^  It  is 
greatly  to  the  credit  of  his  superiors  in  the  Herborn 
faculty  and  of  the  authorities  at  Dillenburg,  and  indi- 
cates the  predominant  religious  tone  in  the  school  and 
among  those  whom  it  influenced  most,  that  there  was 
no  interference  with  ^Ir.  Otterbein's  manner  of  preach- 
ing, and  that  he  continued  in  unbroken  relation  with 
both  the  faculty  and  the  Ockersdorf  church  until  he 
was  dismissed  with  great  honor  to  go  to  his  field  in  the 
New  World. 

Mr.  Otterbein's  certificate  of  ordination  is  a  document 
of  special  interest,  and  a  copy  is  herewith  presented.  It 
will  be  noticed  by  its  date  that  the  certificate  was  written 
nearly  three  years  after  the  event,  and  w^as  intended  to  be  a 
credential  certifying  to  his  ordination  as  well  as  general 
character  when  about  to  "emigrate  to  foreign  shores." 
The  certificate  is  signed  by  Dr.  Schramm,  the  senior 
professor  or  president  of  the  Herborn  school.  Dr.  Arnold 
and  Pastor  Klingelhofer,  as  appears  in  the  body  of  the 
certificate,  assisted  in  the  ordination.  This  certificate  w^as 
preserved  by  Mr.  Otterbein,  and  handed  by  him  to  his 
friend  Rev.  John  Hildt,  of  Baltimore.  Tlie  original,  in 
Latin  manuscript,  is  now  in  the  archives  of  the  United 
Brethren  Publishing  House,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  having  been 
presented  to  the  House  by  Mr.  Hildt.  The  certificate 
reads  as  follows  : 

'  Spayth's  History  of  the  UnUed  Brethren  in  Christ,  pp.  19,  20. 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  31 

LECTORIS  SAIiUTEM. 

Reverendus  et  doctissimus  vir  juvenis,  Philippus  Guilhelmus 
Otterbeiiiius,  gente  Nassauiiis,  domo  Dillenburgensis,  S.  Ministerii 
Candidatus,  classis  tertise  hujiis  p?edagogii  prjeceptor,  manuum 
impositione  adsistentibus  CI.  Arnoldo,  professore  atqiie  primario 
.  ccBtus  Herbornensis  pastore,  et  admodum  reverendo  Klingelhofero 
ejusdem  ecclesise  secundario,  ut  vicariam  in  coetu  Ockersdorpiano 
prfestaret  opem,  13  Jimii,  1749,  ordinationis  a  me  impetravit  axioma. 
Quod  bis  ad  ejus  requisitionem  testor,  et  dileeto  meo  quondam  audi- 
tori  in  peregrinas  abiturienti  oras,  fausta  qusevis  prosperumqiie  iter  ex 
animo  precor,  constantis  mei  adversus  eum  adfeetiis  monimentum. 
r  --^^-^^  -|  JoH.  Henricus  8chrammius, 

I  Signum  I  Theologui  Doctor  et  Ecclesiartim  Xassauicarum  Superintendem. 

Herborn.e,  III.  Calendas  Martias,  MDCCLII. 

The  following  is  the  translation  as  given  by  Professor 
Drury  in  his  Life  of  Otterbein. 

TRANSLATION. 

To  the  Peader,   Greeting: — 

Tbe  reverend  and  very  learned  young  man,  Philip  "William  Otter- 
bein, from  Dillenburg,  in  Nassau,  a  candidate  of  the  holy  ministry, 
and  a  teacher  of  the  third  class  in  this  school,  received  of  me,  assisted 
by  Cl.i  Arnold,  professor  and  first  pastor  of  the  congregation  at 
Herborn,  and  by  the  Reverend  Klingelhofer,  second  pastor  of  the 
same  church,  on  the  13th  of  June,  1749,  the  rite  of  ordination  by 
the  laying  on  of  hands,  that  he  might  perform  the  functions  of  vicar, 
in  the  congregation  at  Ockersdorf.  This  I  certify  at  his  request;  and 
to  my  much  esteemed  former  hearer,  who  is  now  about  to  emigrate 
to  foreign  shores,  I  earnestly  wish  all  good  fortune  and  a  i^rosperous 
voyage,  and  subscribe  this  letter  as  a  testimonial  of  my  never-failing 
affection  towards  him. 

John  Henry  Schramm, 

Doctor  of  Theology  and  Superintendent  of  the  Church  of  uVassau. 


I    Seal.    I 


Herborn,  February  28,  1752.^ 

Y.       THE    CALL    TO    AMERICA. 

We  have  seen  that  Mr.  Otterbein's  mother  had  a  strong 
premonition  that  her  son  was  destined  to  become  a  mis- 

i"Cl."here  stands  as  an  abbreviation  for  Clari^simus,  a  title  often  prefixed 
to  the  names  of  German  professors.  Tbe  term  means  "most  illustrious." 
The  title  might  be  rendered,  "His  Highness." 

*  Drury 's  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  44,  45. 


32  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

sionary  to  some  foreign  land.  No  long  time  was  to  elapse 
until  the  pious  intuitions  of  her  devout  spirit  were  to  be 
realized  in  a  call  for  a  service  for  which  his  thorough 
education  and  his  eminently  spiritual  training,  both  in 
the  home  and  in  the  school,  peculiarly  fitted  him.  The 
call  came  with  great  clearness  and  force.  Never  since 
the  days  of  Paul  was  the  cry,  "Come  over  and  help 
us,"  more  surely  the  voice  of  God  than  was  the  earnest 
pleading  of  the  destitute  in  the  American  colonies  for  the 
bread  of  life.  And  never  was  there  a  heartier  or  more 
unhesitating  response  than  that  when  the  cultured  young 
Otterbein  forsook  the  associations  amid  which  he  was 
reared,  and  where  he  was  working  with  success  and  abun- 
dant promise  of  future  honor,  to  consecrate  himself,  with 
the  companions  wdio  joined  him,  to  the  work  of  evangeli- 
zation in  the  New  World. 

The  religious  needs  of  the  German  settlers  in  America, 
especially  in  the  colonies  of  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey, 
jMaryland,  and  Virginia,  had  for  some  time  been  attracting 
the  attention  of  the  church  in  Europe,  and  limited  supplies 
of  ministers  and  money  had  been  sent  over  for  their  relief 
The  supplies  of  money,  how^ever,  as  we  shall  see  more 
fully,  came  from  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Holland, 
rather  than  from  the  German  Reformed  Church  in  Ger- 
many, due  to  the  larger  means  of  the  Netherlanders  and 
the  comparative  poverty  of  the  Germans.  The  Dutch  had 
also  been  earliest  on  the  American  soil,  preceding  by  almost 
a  century  any  considerable  immigration  of  Germans,  and 
New  Amsterdam,  named  for  the  old  Amsterdam  of  Hol- 
land, had  become  a  considerable  city  before  passing  into 
the  hands  of  the  English  and  becoming  New  York.  The 
Dutch  Reformed  Church  thus  became  one  of  the  earliest 
of  the  Protestant  churches  established  on  American  soil. 
The  Germans  did  not  come  in  any  marked  numbers  until 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  33 

the  cruel  hand  of  persecution  was  stretched  out  against 
them.  The  famous  edict  of  Nantes,  promulgated  by  Henry 
IV.,  in  1598,  had  for  nearly  ninety  years  secured  a  partial 
toleration  to  the  Reformed  Church  in  France.  The  revo- 
cation of  this  instrument  by  the  cruel  persecutor,  Louis 
XIV.,  in  1685,  on  the  shameless  pretext  that  there  were  no 
longer  any  Protestants  in  France,  and  that  its  provisions 
were  therefore  no  longer  needed,  with  the  increased  per- 
secutions which  immediately  began  to  follow,  greatly 
stimulated  emigration.  But  not  only  was  the  outflow  of 
French  Huguenots,  or  Calvinists,  greatly  augmented,  until 
it  reached  by  conservative  estimates  from  three  to  four 
hundred  thousand  people,  but  the  repeated  devastations 
of  the  Palatinate,  a  middle  country  of  the  Rhine,  led  to 
the  exile,  first,  of  many  thousands  of  Germans  to  other 
European  countries,  as  Holland,  Switzerland,  and  England, 
and  subsequently  of  many  of  them  to  America.  The  evil 
hand  of  this  remorseless  monarch  was  first  laid  upon  this 
peaceful  district  in  1674,  and  afterward,  subsequent  to  the 
revocation,  in  1688,  and  again  in  1693.  Of  the  Huguenots 
some  sought  refuge  in  Brazil,  South  America,  others  in 
Florida,  and  others  in  South  Carolina,  while  others  still 
found  shelter  among  the  colonies  farther  to  the  north. 
The  Germans  who  fled  from  the  Palatinate,  after  a  brief 
sojourn  in  the  several  European  countries  wliich  first  gave 
them  asylum,  sought  homes  chiefly  in  the  middle  colonies 
already  named.  Some  of  them  formed  considerable  set- 
tlements on  the  Hudson  and  in  other  parts  of  the  colony 
of  New  York,  but  receiving  ungenerous  treatment  by  the 
civil  government,  they  left  again  the  homes  they  had 
established,  and  came  into  Pennsylvania.  Settling  in 
large  numbers  in  Berks,  Lancaster,  Bucks,  and  others 
of  the  eastern  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  they  laid  the 
foundations  of  those   strong   German   communities  whose 


34  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

descendants  have  ever  since  constituted  so  solid  a  portion 
of  the  best  citizenship  of  that  now  great  commonwealth, 
and  who  have  contributed  so  substantially  to  the  best  bone 
and  sinew  of  all  the  States  westward.  Religiously,  these 
people  were  comprehended  chiefly  in  about  three  denomi- 
nations—  German  Reformed,  Lutherans,  and  Mennonites. 
The  Reformed  were  the  most  numerous  of  these,  and  the 
Mennonites  the  least.  Singularly  enough,  the  last  named, 
having  found  a  refuge  first  among  the  generous  Hol- 
landers, were  presently  unwelcome  because  they  did  not 
subscribe  to  the  Calvinistic  tenets  of  the  Dutch  church, 
and  so  they  set  forth  again  to  find,  on  the  soil  of  the 
new  continent,  unrestricted  religious  freedom — the  precious 
boon  which  so  many  of  the  oppressed  and  persecuted  in 
the  old  country  so  earnestly  coveted.  Of  the  Germans 
who  were  invited  by  Queen  Anne  to  find  refuge  in  her 
dominions,  some  were  settled  by  her  in  Ireland,  thus 
giving  rise  to  the  people  still  known  as  Irish  Germans, 
while  others  were  assisted  by  her  in  coming  to  America. 
The  favorable  terms  proposed  by  William  Penn  to  immi- 
grants began  to  induce  the  Germans  to  form  settlements 
in  Pennsylvania  as  early  as  1681,  but  in  the  first 
twenty  years  from  that  date  the  number  coming  into 
the  colony  scarcely  exceeded  two  hundred  families.  In 
the  next  quarter  of  a  century  from  forty  to  fifty  thousand 
came,  and  twenty  years  later,  or  about  the  middle  of 
the  century,  near  the  time  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  arrival, 
when  the  whole  number  of  settlers  in  the  colony  reached 
about  one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand,  fully  ninety 
thousand  were  Germans.  Of  these,  about  one-third,  or 
about  thirty  thousand,  were  connected  with  the  German 
Reformed  Church.  Of  many  of  them  the  church  connec- 
tion was  only  nominal,  as  they  were  largely  without 
organized  societies,  without  houses  for  worship,  and  with- 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  35 

out  pastors,  and  adults  and  children  alike  in  great  num- 
bers were  unbaptized. 

In  this  condition  of  things  many  of  the  settlers  lapsed 
into  spiritual  apostasy,  and  often  even  into  gross  immo- 
rality. Many,  on  the  other  hand,  preserved  as  best  they 
could  both  the  spirit  and  the  forms  of  worship.  The  few 
pastors  who  were  among  them,  of  both  the  Reformed  and 
Lutheran  churches,  looked  anxiously  across  the  waters,  as 
did  also  many  of  the  laity,  for  help.  Shepherds  were  greatly 
needed  to  gather  together  into  congregations  these  scattered 
sheep,  and  to  minister  to  them  statedly  the  word  of  life. 
Scarcely  more  than  half  a  dozen  ministers  of  the  Reformed 
Church  had  the  care  of  the  people  of  their  name  scattered 
widely  through  the  several  colonies.  Some  of  the  people 
were  served  by  ministers  taking  the  oversight  of  several 
congregations,  after  the  manner  of  the  circuits  which 
became  so  familiar  later ;  others  were  visited  once  or  twice 
a  year  by  pastors  leaving  their  own  fields  and  making  long 
journeys  for  this  special  service,  while  many  were  seen 
only  at  intervals  of  several  years.  It  was  in  response  to 
earnest  appeals  for  help  from  these  destitute  people  that 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  in  Holland  began  to  send 
missionaries,  with  money  for  their  partial  support,  to  the 
American  colonies.  And  it  should  be  particularly  noted 
as  something  quite  out  of  the  order  which  we  are  accus- 
tomed to  see,  and  greatly  to  the  honor  of  the  church  of 
Holland,  that  the  missionaries  of  whom  we  here  speak 
were  not  sent  to  build  up  their  own  Dutch  Reformed 
denomination,  but  to  aid  the  German  Reformed  Church 
in  caring  for  its  scattered  and  needy  people.  Missionaries 
were  sent  as  needed  to  their  own  people,  but  this  much 
larger  work  was  undertaken  with  large-hearted  generosity 
purely  in  the  interest  of  saving  souls,  while  the  imme- 
diate results  were  to  be  garnered  by  another  denomination 


36  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

—  a  people  indeed  of  like  form  in  organization  and  holding 
the  same  essential  doctrinal  standards,  but  which  have 
to  the  present  day  maintained  a  separate  existence,  and 
have  grown  to  fair  proportions  among  the  American 
churches,  while  the  Dutch  church  has  been  limited  in  its 
growth  largely  to  lines  of  national  descent.  This  generous 
missionary  work  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  was 
carried  on  in  regularly  organized  form,  and  for  a  series 
of  years.  The  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  and  the  synods  of 
South  and  North  Holland,  had  a  standing  committee 
through  which  appointments  of  missionaries  were  made, 
and  for  receiving  and  disbursing  the  funds  which  were 
contributed  for  this  worthy  object.  Besides  the  contribu- 
tions which  were  annually  made,  the  sum  of  sixty  thousand 
dollars  was  raised,  the  interest  of  which  was  applied  to 
the  erection  of  churches  and  school-houses,  and  to  main- 
taining schools  and  supporting  missionaries.  It  was 
through  this  generous  bounty  of  the  Netherland  Chris- 
tians that  Mr.  Otterbein  was  sent  to  the  American  field. 

These  earlier  conditions  of  the  German  population  of  the 
colonies,  their  needs,  and  the  part  taken  by  the  Holland 
church  for  their  relief,  are  thus  dwelt  upon  at  length, 
for  the  purpose  of  presenting  to  the  reader  a  more  perfect 
understanding  of  the  field  in  wdiich  ]\Ir.  Otterbein  began 
and  through  the  later  years  carried  on  his  American  work. 

Here  it  will  be  in  order  to  speak  of  one  missionary 
whose  name  claims  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  German  Reformed  Church  in  America,  and 
through  w^hose  agency  Mr.  Otterbein  was  brought  across 
the  sea,  namely,  the  Rev.  Michael  Schlatter.  To  this  man 
more  than  to  any  other  that  church  is  indebted,  not  indeed 
for  its  founding,  for  he  was  not  the  founder,  but  for  the 
effective  organization  of  its  scattered  congregations  and 
ministers  into   a  consistent  relio-ious  bodv.     IMr.  Schlatter 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  37 

was  a  native  of  St.  Gall,  Switzerland,  at  that  time  one  of  the 
largest  of  the  Swiss  cities,  was  educated  for  the  ministry, 
served  for  some  years  as  teacher  and  pastor  in  his  native 
country  and  Holland,  and  afterward  offered  himself  for 
the  missionary  work  in  America.  He  went  to  Amsterdam, 
presented  himself  before  the  deputies  of  the  synods  of 
South  and  North  Holland,  was  accepted  by  them,  and 
duly  commissioned  to  proceed  to  the  work.  He  was  yet 
a  young  man,  not  quite  thirty  years  of  age,  full  of  zeal 
and  enthusiasm,  and  ready  to  enter  with  earnest  purpose 
upon  the  work  to  which  for  forty-five  years  he  gave  his 
best  endeavors.  The  duties  enjoined  upon  him  by  the 
deputies  for  this  first  mission  were  chiefly  those  of  a 
superintendent  of  the  work,  though  he  was  not  known 
by  this  name.  He  was  to  visit  the  various  settlements, 
look  up  the  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  organize 
them  into  societies  by  ordaining  deacons  and  elders,  bap- 
tize their  children,  administer  the  Lord's  supper,  prepare 
church  records,  and  as  far  as  possible  secure  for  them 
pastors.  These  labors  Mr.  Schlatter  performed  with  great 
diligence,  through  a  series  of  years,  traveling  often  long 
distances,  preaching  and  laboring  constantly,  adding  to 
them  also,  as  far  as  he  could,  the  duties  of  a  settled  pas- 
tor, during  his  earlier  years,  at  Philadelphia.  He  was,  in 
reality,  in  the  truest  sense  a  bishop  over  the  Reformed 
Church  in  America,  as  the  Rev.  Henry  M.  Muhlenberg 
was,  and  had  been  for  some  time,  among  the  Lutherans, 
and  as  Mr.  Otterbein  came  to  be  in  time  among  the  more 
spiritually  vitalized  societies  of  the  early  United  Brethren 
Church.  Each  of  these  men  was  a  resident  pastor  while 
performing  also  these  wider  duties — Mr.  Muhlenberg  in 
New  York,  and  Mr.  Otterbein  in  Baltimore.  Mr.  Sclilatter 
arrived  in  America  for  the  first  time  in  1746.  Five  years 
later,  in  1751,  he  returned  to  Holland  carrying  the  earnest 


38  THE  UNITED  BRETHBEN  IN  CHBIST 

prayers  of  the  American  churches  for  additional  mis- 
sionaries. 

Mr.  Schlatter,  immediately  on  his  arrival  at  Amsterdam, 
met  the  deputies,  or  standing  committee,  of  the  Dutch 
Eeformed  Synod,  and  laid  hefore  them  at  length  his  report 
of  the  work  in  America,  with  the  prayer  also  for  addi- 
tional missionaries  and  further  financial  assistance.  His 
report  and  his  request  were  received  with  the  warmest 
approval,  and  he  was  presently  authorized  to  proceed  to 
Germany  and  procure  six  young  men,  educated  and 
consecrated,  for  the  work,  with  promise  of  all  necessary 
financial  support.  He  was  further  instructed,  however,  to 
visit  the  churches  in  Germany  and  Switzerland  and  solicit 
such  further  help  as  they  might  be  able  to  give  for  the 
support  of  the  general  work.  The  limited  resources  of 
the  Reformed  churches  in  Germany,  through  the  impov- 
erishment of  wars  and  religious  persecutions,  strengthened 
the  appeal  to  Netherland  generosity  ;  nevertheless  the 
opportunity  was  thus  given  to  the  Germans  to  assist  in 
the  work.  Mr.  Schlatter  went  at  once  to  Herborn,  the 
evangelical  spirit  i^revailing  in  the  school  doubtless  at- 
tracting him  there,  to  find  the  young  men  whom  he  sought. 
There  was  a  ready  response  to  his  call,  and  the  volunteers 
for  the  important  mission  were  soon  found.  They  were 
Mr.  Ottcrbein,  William  Stoy,  John  Waldschmidt,  Theodore 
Frankenfeld,  John  Casper  Rubel,  and  one  who,  ^delding 
to  the  entreaties  and  tears  of  his  mother,  withdrew  after 
having  pledged  himself.  His  place  was  at  once  taken 
by  a  Mr.  Wissler,  a  young  man  from  Berg,  who,  with  his 
recently  married  wife,  gladly  joined  the  band. 

The  names  of  these  young  men  were  presented  to  the 
faculty  of  Herborn  for  approval,  which  was  most  cordially 
given.  Under  date  of  February  25,  1752,  the  following 
was  written   bv   Dr.  Schramm  in  the  record  of  the  Her- 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  39 

born  Academy:  ^'Rev.  Schlatter  handed  me  the  list  of 
candidates  whom  he  desires  to  take  along  with  him  to 
Pennsylvania,  and  prays  that  we  give  them  a  general 
academical  testimonial.  Shall  they  have  such?"  Follow- 
ing this  the  second  professor  of  theology,  Dr.  Ran,  wrote  : 
"Yes.  I  hope  there  is  no  one  that  would  not  rather  see 
the  ministers  desiring  this  recommendation  advanced  to 
work  in  a  foreign  land  than  in  their  home  country." 

And  here  the  following  will  be  found  to  possess  a  very 
special  interest  as  a  historical  document.  It  is  the  testi- 
monial of  the  faculty  to  the  standing  of  young  Mr.  Otter- 
bein,  then  as  for  several  years  previous  a  preceptor  in  the 
school,  and  vicar  at  Ockersdorf.  It  was  written  and  signed 
by  Dr.  Valentine  Arnold,  on  behalf  of  the  faculty. 

L.  S.: 

Inhaber  dieses,  der  Wohl-Ehrwiirdige  imd  Hochgelehrte  Hen*, 
HI.  Philippe  Wilhelm  Otterbein,  ordinirter  Candidatus  8.  Ministerii, 
bisheriger  Pr^eceptor  am  hiesigen  Psedagogeo  und  nun  berufener 
Prediger  in  Pensylvanien,  ist  am  4ten  Juni,  morgeus  zwischen  2  und 
3  Uhr  im  Jahre  1726  zu  Dillenburg,  von  ehrlichen,  und  der  Evange- 
lisch  Reformirten  Kirche  zugethanen  Eltern  gebohren,  und  am  6ten 
dito  zur  HI.  Taufe  gebracht  worden.  Sein  HI.  Yater  ist  gewesen  der 
weyl.  Hochwobl  Ehrwiirdige  und  Hochgelehrte  Herr,  HI.  Johann 
Daniel  Otterbein,  ehedem  wohlmerirter  Rector  der  Lateinischen 
Schule  daselbst,  nachgehends  aber  treufleissiger  Prediger  bei  deren 
Gemeinde  Frohnhausen  und  Wissenbach,  welcher  am  16ten  Kov., 
1742,  das  Zeitliche  mit  dem  Ewigen  verwechselt.  Die  Fran  INIutter 
ist  die  Hoch-Edle  und  tugendreiche  Frau,  Frau  Wilhelmine  Hen- 
rietta, so  als  Wittwe  noch  Dato  am  Leben  ist.    Sie  war  eine  geborne 

.    Taufzeuge  war  HI.  Philippe  Wilhelm  Keller,  Hochfurstl. 

Nassau -Dillenburgische  Kiichenmeister,  als  naher  Anverwandter. 
Sr.  Wohl-Ehrwtirden  ist  in  der  Reformirten  christl.  Religion  wohl 
erzogen,  und  hierauf  zum  Mitglied  dieser  Kirche  angenommen  wor- 
den, hat  audi  jeder  Zeit  einen  ehrbaren,  frommen  und  christlichen 
Wandel  gefuhret,  und  nicht  nur  mit  vielfaltigem  Predigeu  und  treuer 
Verkundigung  des  gottl.  Wortes,  so  wohl  in  dieser  Stadt,  als  auf  einem 
nahegelegenen  hierher  gehorigen  Dorfe  (wo  er  als  Yicarius  den  hi. 
Dienst  eine  geraume  Zeitlang  versehen)  und  an  andern  Orten  mehr 
geschehen,  sondern  auch  mit  seinem  gottseligen  Leben  die  Gemeinden 
erbaut.     AYeshalben  wir  nicht  zweifeln,  er  werde  auch  der  fur  Ihn 


40  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

bestimmten  Gemeinde  in  Pensylvanien  treulich  unci  fruchtbarlich 
vorstehen.  Wie  wir  Ihn  denn  zu  dem  Ende  des  Allmachtigen  Schutz 
und  Geleite  inbriinstig  anempfehlen  und  Ihm  zu  dem  wichtigen 
Werk,  wozu  Er  berufen  wordeu,  und  sich  so  bereitfertig  linden  lassen, 
viele  Gnade  von  Oben,  und  die  reictisten  gottl.  Segen  von  Grund  der 
Seelen  anwunschen.  80  geschehen,  Herborn,  im  Furstenthum 
Nassau -Dillenburg,  den  26ten  Februar,  1752.  V.  Arnold, 

Professor  und  erster  Prediger  daselbsten. 

TRANSLATION. 

To  the  Reader^  Greeting: 

Tlie  bearer  of  tliis,  the  truly  reverend  and  very  learned  Mr.  Philip 
WiUiam  Otterbein,  an  ordained  candidate  of  the  holy  ministry, 
hitherto  preceptor  in  this  pa^dagogium,  and  now  called  as  a  jDreacher 
to  Pennsylvania,  was  born  June  4,^  1726,  in  the  morning  between 
two  and  three  o'clock,  at  Dillenburg,  of  honorable  parents  belonging 
to  the  Evangelical  Reformed  Church,  and  was  baptized  June  6. 
His  father  was  the  right  reverend  and  very  learned  Mr.  John  Daniel 
Otterbein,  formerly  the  highly  esteemed  rector  of  the  Latin  school  at 
Dillenburg,  but  afterwards  a  faithful,  zealous  preacher  to  the  congre- 
gations at  Frohnhausen  and  Wissenbach,  and  who  departed  from 
time  into  eternity,  November  16,  ^  1742.  His  mother  is  the  right 
noble  and  very  virtuous  woman,  Wilhelmina  Henrietta,  her  maiden 

name  being .     She  is  alive  at  this  time  as  a  widow.    His 

godfather  was  Mr.  Philip  William  Keller,  steward  to  the  court  of 
Nassau-Dillenburg,  who  was  a  near  relative.  The  truly  reverend 
Philip  William  Otterbein  was  well  raised  in  the  Reformed  Christian 
religion,  and  then  received  as  a  member  of  this  church.  He  has 
always  lived  an  honest,  pious,  and  Christian  life;  and  not  only  by 
much  preaching  and  faithful  declaring  of  the  word  of  God  in  this  city, 
as  also  at  a  near  affiliating  town  where  he  has  been  vicar  for  a  consid- 
erable time,  and  at  other  places,  but  also  by  his  godly  life,  has  he  built 
up  the  church.  Wherefore  we  do  not  doubt  that  he  will  faithfully  and 
fruitfully  serve  the  church  in  Pennsylvania,  to  which  he  has  been 
called.  Therefore,  to  this  end,  we  commend  him  to  the  protection 
of  the  Almighty,  whose  care  and  leading  we  pray  upon  him;  and  we 
pray  that  he  may  give  him  much  grace  from  above,  and  the  richest 

'  Attention  is  here  again  called  to  the  date  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  birth  here 
given,  as  differing  from  that  in  the  baptismal  register  in  the  church  at  Dillen- 
burg, which  has  been  spoken  of  on  page  22.  If  it  is  thought  singular  that 
Mr.  Otterbein  never  corrected  the  date  in  this  document,  we  must  regard  it 
as  no  less  so  that  he  never  filled  out  the  blank  left  for  his  mother's  name. 
It  seems  likely  that  he  hesitated  to  make  any  alteration  or  amendment  in 
this  paper,  preferring  to  leave  it  just  as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  the 
Herborn  faculty. 

2  Mr.  Cuno  gives  November  14  as  the  date. 


PHILIP  WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN  41 

divine  blessing  in  the  work  to  which  he  has  been  called,  and  to 
which  he  was  so  willing  to  go,  and  we  wish  him  from  the  bottom 
of  our  souls  success.  So  done  at  Herborn,  in  the  principality  of 
Nassau -Dillenburg,  Februarys  26,  1752. 

V.  Arnold,  Professor  and  Fi7'st  Pastor. 

The  young  men  who  were  thus  recommended  were  next 
to  proceed  to  Holland  for  examination  and,  if  approved, 
for  special  consecration  to  the  foreign  work.  And  now 
came  the  time  for  the  severest  trial  of  the  devoted  mother 
of  Mr.  Otterbein.  The  long-cherished  feeling  of  her  heart 
that  a  broader  field  of  work  was  awaiting  her  son  was 
about  to  be  realized,  and  she  could  not  put  forth  her 
hand  to  take  back  again  the  precious  sacrifice  which  she 
had  placed  on  the  Lord's  altar.  But  her  deep  soul  was 
greatly  moved  at  what  seemed  to  her  like  a  final  parting 
with  her  beloved  son.  To  prepare  her  heart  for  the  great 
trial,  "she  hastened  to  her  closet,  and,  after  being  relieved 
by  tears  and  2>i"^yer,  she  came  from  her  chamber  strength- 
ened, and,  taking  her  William  by  the  hand  and  pressing 
that  hand  to  her  bosom,  she  said:  'Go;  the  Lord  bless 
thee  and  keep  thee ;  the  Lord  cause  his  face  to  shine 
upon  thee,  and  with  much  grace  direct  thy  steps.  On 
earth  I  may  not  see  thy  face  again,  but  go.' "^  The 
spiritual  triumph  of  the  mother  in  this  great  ordeal  again 
gave  proof  of  that  strength  of  character  which  was  to 
find  so  noble  a  development  in  the  son. 

The  necessary  preparation  being  completed,  ]\Ir.  Schlatter 
started  with  his  company  of  young  men  for  the  Nether- 
lands. Arriving  at  the  Hague,  a  further  examination 
was  made  by  the  authorized  committee  as  to  their  fitness 
for  the  work.  It  was  required  that  they  be  "orthodox, 
learned,  pious,  and  of  humble  disposition  ;  diligent,  sound 
in  body,  and  eagerly  desirous,  not  after  earthly,  but  heav- 
enly treasures,  especially  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls." 

1  Spayth's  History  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  p.  21. 


42  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Those  who  had  not  been  duly  ordained  to  the  ministry 
of  the  word  then  received  this  rite,  and  all  were  further 
specially  consecrated  as  missionaries.  They  were  required 
to  subscribe  to  the  tenets  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism, 
and  it  was  exjDected  that  all  missionaries  sent  out  by  the 
church  of  Holland  accept  the  catechism  in  the  severer 
interpretations  put  upon  it  by  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church. 
Arrangements  for  their  necessary  expenses,  and  for  their 
partial  support  in  the  mission  field  after  entering  upon  their 
work,  being  duly  completed,  the  company  set  sail  toward  the 
close  of  March.  The  voyage  was  a  tedious  one,  the  vessel 
reaching  New  York  as  late  as  the  night  before  the  28th 
of  July,  after  being  about  four  months  at  sea.  "On  the 
following  day,"  says  Mr.  Harbaugh,  in  his  "  Life  of  Michael 
Schlatter,"  "they  were  most  cordially  welcomed  by  Eev. 
Muhlenberg,  who,  when  the  six  young  ministers  w^ere  intro- 
duced to  him,  in  view  of  the  difficulties  of  the  field  and 
the  labor  before  them,  very  beautifully  and  appropriately 
addressed  them  in  our  Saviour's  memorable  words  :  '  Behold, 
I  send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of  wolves :  be  ye 
therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and  harmless  as  doves.'  "^ 

1  From  a  serial  work  entitled  Monatliche  JS^achrichten  einiger  Merkiviirdigkeiten 
vom  Jahr  1752  ("Monthly  Reports  of  Remarkable  Events  in  the  Year  1752"), 
published  in  Zurich.  Mr.  Harbaugh,  in  his  "Life  of  Michael  Schlatter,"  trans- 
lates the  following  item  :  "Makch.  Rev.  Michael  Schlatter  has  returned  again 
from  Frankfort  to  Amsterdam  with  his  cousin  Christopher.  As  appears  from 
a  letter  of  Rev.  Hudmaker,  he  has,  through  Rev.  Prof.  Arnold,  in  Herborn, 
gathered  six  young  candidates,  who  are  to  be  examined  in  Holland,  and  there 
dedicated  to  the  service  of  tlie  Pennsylvania  churches." 

The  Mo7iatliche  Nachrichten  for  May,  a  month  later,  of  the  same  year,  also 
contained  the  following  :  "  Rev.  Michael  Schlatter  actually  sailed  from  Holland 
for  Pennsylvania  in  March.  Of  the  six  candidates  whom  he  secured  in  Nassau 
district,  one  went  back,  yielding  to  the  earnest  entreaties  of  his  mother.  His 
place  has,  however,  been  filled  by  another  from  the  Berg  district,  who,  with  his 
wife,  has  undertaken  the  journey.  These  candidates  were  all  examined  and 
ordained  at  the  Hague.  They  also  approved  themselves  by  preaching  trial 
sermons,  and  the  whole  occasion  was  concluded  in  a  most  solemn  and  edifying 
manner  by  a  thanksgiving  sermon  from  Rev.  Superintendent  Schlatter."— 
Harbaugh's  Life  of  Michael  Schlatter,  pp.  81,  82. 

We  have  seen  that  Mr.  Otterbein,  and  probably  some  of  the  others,  had 
already  been  duly  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry.  But  here  they  were  espe- 
cially dedicated  to  the  missionary  work  in  America. 


CHAPTER  II 

MR.  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA 

I.      MR.    OTTERBEIN's    EARLIER   YEARS   IN    AMERICA PASTOR 

AT    LANCASTER. 

Of  the  company  of  missionaries  brought  by  Mr.  Schlatter 
to  America  we  are  now  to  take  leave,  with  the  exception  of 
Mr.  Otterbein.  This  brief  note,  however,  should  be  made  : 
After  remaining  a  few  days  at  New  York  they  came  on 
with  their  leader  to  Philadelphia,  and  with  one  exception 
were  soon  located  on  the  different  charges  they  were  to 
serve.  Mr.  Stoy  was  assigned  to  Tulpehocken,  a  charge 
which  Mr.  Otterbein  served  temporarily  some  years  later ; 
Mr.  Waldschmidt,  to  Cocalico ;  and  Mv.  Frankenfeld,  to 
Frederick  City,  Maryland.  Mr.  Rubel  was  located  in  the 
second  church  in  Philadelphia,  apparently  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  coetus  or  Mr.  Schlatter.  He  seems  to  have  proved 
*' refractory,"  and  is  referred  to  in  the  records  of  the  coetus 
as  "the  rebellious  Rubel,"  and  three  years  later  the  minutes 
cease  to  mention  his  name.  Of  Mr.  Wissler  the  sad  fact  is 
recorded  that  he  died  soon  after  his  arrival,  having  never 
been  installed  over  a  charge.  Mention  follows  a  few  years 
later  of  kind  provision  for  his  widow  by  the  coetus. 

Our  narrative  now  returns  to  the  name  which  interests 
the  reader  most,  the  only  one  among  the  group  which 
gained  a  conspicuous  place  in  history,  the  name  of  Philip 
William  Otterbein.  The  city  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
was  at  that  time  a  thrifty  town  of  about  two  thousand 
people.     Here  was  located  the  second  in  importance  among 

43 


44  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  German  Eeformed  churches  in  America, — the  first 
being  in  Philadelpliia, — and  to  tliis  cliurch  Mr.  Otterbein 
was  appointed  by  ^Ir.  Schlatter.  From  the  testimony  of 
Mr.  Harbaugli,  as  from  other  sources,  we  learn  that  much 
laxity  in  morals,  as  well  as  in  regard  to  orderly  church 
life,  prevailed  in  the  congregation  at  this  time.  The 
church  had  been  for  some  years  mostly  without  a  pas- 
tor, and  had  lapsed  into  unfortunate  spiritual  conditions. 
"Owing,  probably,  to  the  frequent  vacancies  which  had  here 
occurred  during  some  years  previous,"  says  Mr.  Harbaugh, 
"  loose  ideas  and  2:)ractices  had  come  to  prevail ;  and  various 
irregularities,  especially  in  regard  to  order  and  discipline, 
had  gradually  crept  into  the  church."^  The  conditions 
of  entering  upon  the  pastorate  of  this  church  having  been 
agreed  upon,  one  of  which  provided  that  his  service  should 
continue  for  a  period  of  five  years,  ^Ir.  Otterbein  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  charge  in  about  one  month  from 
the  time  of  his  landing  at  New  York. 

If  we  now  recall  the  manner  of  his  ministry  at  Ockers- 
dorf  and  Herborn,  and  remember  with  what  zeal  and 
earnestness  he  there  rebuked  sin  in  high  and  in  humble 
places,  and  urged  his  people  to  seek  for  a  deejDer  spirit- 
uality, and  lead  purer  and  more  exemplary  lives,  we 
shall  understand  how  he  addressed  himself  to  the  new 
duties  that  lay  before  him.  Here  w^as  indeed  a  con- 
gregation less  spiritual  in  its  inner,  and  less  orderly  in 
its  outward,  life  than  were  the  churches  to  which  he  had 
previously  ministered — churches  which  had  been  molded 
under  the  influence  of  the  devout  and  saintly  men  w^ho 
presided  over  the  school  at  Herborn.  And,  as  it  might 
be  supposed,  the  worldly  element  in  the  church,  here  as 
there,  chafing  under  his  trenchant  rebukes,  asserted  itself 
in  opposition  to  his  spiritual  and  earnest  preaching.     But 

1  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  II.,  by  Rev.  H.  Harbaugh,  D.D.,  p.  54. 


MR.  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  45 

Mr.  Otterbein  was  not  to  be  turned  aside  by  opposition. 
As  a  true  ambassador  from  God,  he  delivered  his  message 
with  unflinching  fidelity,  and  with  excellent  results.  Many 
in  the  church  soon  became  strongly  attached  to  the  young 
pastor,  and  when,  at  the  end  of  the  five  years,  he  tendered 
his  resignation,  intending  to  make  a  visit  to  Germany,  the 
congregation  was  loth  to  let  him  go,  and  insisted  upon 
his  continuing  with  them.  Upon  tlieir  earnest  pleading, 
and  upon  the  intercession  of  the  coetus,  he  made  an 
engagement  to  remain,  reserving,  however,  the  privilege 
of  resigning  at  any  time.  We  may  remember  just  here 
that  the  date  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  settlement  at  Lancaster 
was  twenty-three  years  before  the  beginning  of  the  War 
of  the  American  Revolution,  and  also  that  he  was  then 
just  twenty-six  years  old. 

Mr.  Harbaugh,  the  distinguished  historian  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  while  never  quite  able  to  free  himself 
of  a  degree  of  prejudice  toward  the  United  Brethren, 
though  writing  as  late  as  1857,  presents  some  valuable 
materials  for  United  Brethren  history.  Among  these  is 
much  of  what  he  says  of  Mr.  Otterbein,  whom  he  regards 
as  misguided  and  erring,  but  for  whom  he  nevertheless 
retains  the  highest  measure  of  admiration.  Of  Mr.  Otter- 
bein and  his  ministry  at  Lancaster  he  says  that  he  was 
"full  of  vigor  and  holy  zeal,"  and  that  "he  labored,  during 
these  five  years,  as  appears  from  the  records  of  that 
church,  amid  various  discouragements,  though  with  regular 
success."^  Mr.  Harbaugh  further  says  that  "at  the  close 
of  the  stipulated  term,  in  1757,  he  was  anxious  to  with- 
draw," and  then  continues,  quoting  from  another  source  : 
"'He  complained  of  many  grievances,  which  had  ren- 
dered his  ministry  unhapi)y  ;  and  demanded,  as  a  condition 
of   his    continuance,    the   exercise   of  a   just   ecclesiastical 

^Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  II.,  p.  54. 


46  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

discipline,  the  abolition  of  all  inordinacies,  and  entire  liberty 
of  conscience  in  the  performance  of  his  pastoral  duties. 
All  this  was  readily  promised  by  the  congregation.'  " 

Apparently,  to  about  this  time  belongs  an  important 
paper,  the  original  of  which  is  preserved  in  the  archives 
of  this  early  church.  It  is  in  Mr.  Otterbein's  own  hand- 
w^riting,  and  its  provisions  indicate  how  earnestly  he 
sought  the  spiritual  improvement  of  his  congregation. 
The  document  is  signed  by  eighty  of  the  male  members 
of  the  church,  thus  showing  their  willingness  to  cooperate 
w^ith  him.  The  following  translation  is  given  in  "The 
Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church "  : 

Inasmuch  as,  for  some  time,  matters  in  our  congregation  have 
proceeded  somewhat  irregularly,  and  since  we,  in  these  circum- 
stances, do  not  correctly  know  who  they  are  that  acknowledge  them- 
selves members  of  our  church,  especially  among  those  who  reside 
out  of  town  ;  we,  the  minister  and  officers  of  this  church,  have 
taken  this  matter  into  consideration,  and  find  it  necessary  to  request 
that  every  one  who  calls  himself  a  member  of  our  church,  and  who 
is  concerned  to  lead  a  Christian  life,  should  come  forward  and  sub- 
scribe his  name  to  the  following  Rules  of  Order  : 

First  of  all,  it  is  proper  that  those  who  profess  themselves  mem- 
bers should  subject  themselves  to  a  becoming  Christian  church 
discipline,  according  to  the  order  of  Christ  and  his  apostles  ;  and 
thus  to  show  respectful  obedience  to  ministers  and  officers,  in  all 
things  that  are  i^roper. 

Secondly.  To  the  end  that  all  disorder  may  be  prevented,  and 
that  each  member  may  become  more  fully  known,  each  one,  with- 
out exceiDtion,  who  desires  to  receive  the  Lord's  supper,  shall, 
previous  to  the  preparation  sei-vice,  upon  a  day  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  personally  appear  before  the  minister,  that  an  interview 
may  be  held. 

No  one  will,  by  this  arrangement,  be  deprived  of  his  liberty,  or 
be  in  any  way  bound  oppressively.  This  we  deem  neeessarj^  to  the 
preservation  of  order ;  and  it  is  our  desire  that  God  may  bless  it  to 
this  end.  Whoever  is  truly  concerned  to  grow  in  grace,  will  not 
hesitate  to  subscribe  his  name. 

This  excellent  measure  thus  adopted  became  an  estab- 
Hshed  custom  of  the  Lancaster  church,  and  was  regularly 


MB.  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  47 

maintained  for  about  seventy-five  years.  Thus  before 
eacli  communion  season  the  pastor  and  tlie  people  were 
brought  face  to  face,  giving  the  pastor  opportunity  to  make 
inquiry  concerning  tlie  spiritual  condition  of  each,  and  to 
give  such  counsel  or  comfort  as  might  be  necessary.  Mr. 
Harbaugh  justly  laments  that  "the  good  custom"  was 
"suffered  to  sink  out  of  sight,"  adding  that  "its  abandon- 
ment brought  no  blessings  to  the  church  at  Lancaster." 

One  more  paragraph  from  Mr.  Harbaugh,  illustrating 
the  high  character  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  work  at  Lancaster, 
and  the  permanent  results  which  followed,  is  here  added  : 
"Though  the  congregation  at  Lancaster  had  existed,  with 
considerable  prosperity,  since  1736,  it  is  evident  that 
it  was  the  labor,  zeal,  and  influence  of  Mr.  Otterbein 
which,  more  than  those  of  any  previous  pastor,  gave  it 
consolidation,  firmness,  and  character.  Previous  to  his 
time,  its  history  was  somewhat  fragmentary  and  weak. 
He  was  the  instrument  by  which  its  strength  was  con- 
centrated and  made  permanent.  Under  his  ministry,  the 
old,  small  wooden  church,  which  stood  in  the  back  part 
of  the  graveyard,  was  superseded  by  a  massive  stone 
church,  at  the  street,  which  was  built  in  1753,  and  only 
taken  down  in  1852,  having  stood  almost  a  century. 
Internally  the  congregation  greatly  prospered.  Evidences 
of  his  order  and  zeal  look  out  upon  us,  from  the  records, 
in  many  w^ays ;  and  enterprises  started  in  his  time  have 
extended  their  results,  in  the  permanent  features  of  the 
congregation,  down  to  this  day."^ 

This  noble  tribute  to  Mr.  Otterbein  well  illustrates  alike 
his  zeal,  wisdom,  and  energetic  spirit  in  caring  for  the 
spiritual  and  material  interests  of  his  flock.  He  was  a 
young  man  at  this  time,  but  proved  himself  a  wise  mas- 
ter-builder.    And   it  may   be   added  that  after    nearly  a 

1  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  U.,  pp.  57,  58. 


48  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

century  and  a  half  has  passed,  and  forty  years  after  Mr. 
Harbaugh  wrote,  the  Reformed  Church  still  finds  Lancaster 
one  of  the  best  of  its  strongholds,  having  now  not  only 
a  large  church  membership  there,  but  also  one  of  its 
foremost  literary  and  theological  institutions. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Otterbein  at  Lancaster 
there  came  a  crisis  in  his  religious  experience  which 
brought  about  a  most  marked  change  in  his  inner 
sjDiritual  consciousness,  and  gave  tone  to  all  his  subse- 
quent career  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  It 
was  in  the  early  part  of  his  Lancaster  ministry  when,  on 
a  certain  Sabbath  morning,  he  preached  with  more  than 
his  usual  earnestness  and  power,  his  whole  soul  and  spirit 
being  poured  into  his  words  as  they  fell  from  his  lips. 
His  theme  was  the  necessity  for  a  thorough  repentance 
for  sin,  and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  a  full  and 
conscious  Saviour.  Many  of  his  hearers  were  deeply  moved 
by  his  evident  sincerity  and  the  fervency  of  his  utter- 
ance. After  the  close  of  the  service,  one  to  whose  soul 
his  words  had  gone  as  sharp  arrows  anxiously  apjDroached 
him  for  spiritual  counsel.  Mr.  Otterbein,  though  preach- 
ing with  such  potency  the  saving  truths  of  the  gospel, 
felt  himself  perplexed  and  embarrassed  by  this  direct 
proof  of  its  effects,  and  for  the  moment  he  could  but 
reply,  "My  friend,  advice  is  scarce  with  me  to-day." 
The  fact  was  that  his  earnest  sermon,  full  of  truths  which 
he  had  theoretically  learned  and  as  yet  but  partially  expe- 
rienced, was  but  the  strong  outcrying  of  his  own  unsatisfied 
soul,  and  he  went  away  from  his  pulpit  that  day  into  the 
seclusion  of  his  closet,  there  to  struggle  in  prayer  until 
the  problem  of  a  more  perfect  consciousness  of  salvation 
in  Christ  was  fully  solved. 

That  Mr.  Otterbein  himself  regarded  this  entrance  into 
a  deeper  religious  experience  as  possessing  an   important 


MR,   OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  49 

significance  in  his  spiritual  life,  is  indicated  in  his  answer 
to  one  of  a  series  of  questions  propounded  to  him  not  long 
before  his  death,  by  Bishop  Asbury,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  particular  question  referred  to 
was,  *'By  what  means  were  you  brought  to  the  gospel  of 
God  and  our  Saviour?"  Mr.  Otterbein's  answer  was,  "By 
degrees  was  I  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  while 
I  was  at  Lancaster."^  But  it  would  be  a  grave  mistake  to 
regard  this  answer  as  signifying  that  Mr.  Otterbein  now  for 
the  first  time  experienced  the  saving  grace  of  the  gospel. 
When  we  regard  the  character  of  his  earlier  preaching, 
both  in  Germany  and  after  coming  to  America,  his  earnest 
and  devout  spirit,  the  purity  of  his  life,  all  the  trend  of 
his  ministry  in  public  and  in  private,  we  are  not  per- 
mitted to  come  to  such  a  conclusion.  We  are  rather  to 
understand  that  his  heart  longed  for  a  more  perfect 
apprehension,  a  fuller  and  more  satisfying  experience, 
of  the  things  which  he  perceived  in  the  gospel,  and  which 
he  preached  to  others.  This  grace  he  now  came  to  realize 
in  a  more  precious  sense,  by  degrees,  perhaps,  as  he 
modestly  expressed  it,  but  none  the  less  consciously.  And 
it  was  his  earnest  preaching  of  the  necessity  for  this  truer 
spiritual  experience  and  life,  and  his  insistence  upon  it  as 
the  duty  of  every  member  of  the  church,  that  marked  all 
his  subsequent  ministry  as  so  different  from  that  of  the 
majority  of  his  earlier  associates. 

The  importance  of  this  experience  of  Mr.  Otterbein 
during  his  Lancaster  pastorate,  when  viewed  in  the  light 
of  the  results  to  which  it  led,  can  scarcely  be  correctly 
estimated  without  taking  into  account  the  spiritual  com- 
fort and  strength  which  it  brought  into  his  own  heart 
and  life.  It  became  to  him  practically  the  beginning  of 
a  new  life.     We  are  to  take  into  account  the  general  con- 

»  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  fiS. 
4 


60  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ception  of  the  religious  world  at  that  time,  that  religion 
was  largely  an  education.  The  cardinal  doctrines  of  our 
faith  were  taught  in  the  catechism  ;  then  followed  con- 
firmation and  the  stated  participation  in  the  communion 
of  the  Lord's  supper.  Religion  pertained  largely  to  the 
province  of  the  intellect  and  the  observance  of  outward 
forms.  And  when,  in  connection  with  these,  the  general 
deportment  corresponded  with  the  requirements  of  a  pure 
and  upright  life,  the  man  or  woman  so  professing  and 
living  was  deemed  an  exemplary  Christian.  With  all 
this,  so  far  as  it  went,  there  was  certainly  no  fault  to  be 
found.  But  in  this  spiritual  struggle,  which  j\Ir.  Otterbein 
recalled  in  his  old  age  in  his  answer  to  Bishop  Asbury's 
questions,  he  entered  into  a  brighter  light,  a  deeper  expe- 
rience, the  consciousness  of  new  and  more  intimate 
fellowship  with  the  divine.  It  was  the  same  deeper 
heart  regeneration  which  Mr.  Wesley,  brought  up  in  the 
stately  formalities  of  the  Church  of  England,  experienced, 
which  made  Whitefield  the  "burning  and  shining  light" 
that  he  was,  and  which  has  filled  the  hearts  of  millions 
of  others  with  a  satisfying  spiritual  consciousness  which 
no  mere  intellectual  apprehension  or  faithful  compliance 
with  outward  forms  could  ever  bring.  It  was  this  expe- 
rience which  made  Mr.  Otterbein  from  that  time  forward 
in  important  aspects  a  new  man,  and  which  brought  him 
later  into  those  activities  and  relationships  with  other 
men  of  like  experience  that  led  to  the  organization  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church. 

Dr.  Drury,  in  remarking  upon  this  stage  of  Mr.  Otter- 
bein's  religious  life,  says :  "  If  there  was  an  earlier 
experience,  it  was  yet  clearly  this  later  experience  that 
furnishes  the  key  to  his  after-life.  It  was  this  present 
conscious  experience  that  he  ever  afterward  preached  as 
the  privilege  of  all  Christians.     He  believed  none  the  less 


3/7?.   OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  51 

in  the  outward  things  of  Christianity  and  the  Christian 
church  as  heing  important,  but  he  beheved  with  his  whole 
soul  that  outward  elements  are  worthless  to  those  that  do 
not  inwardly  appropriate."  Dr.  Drury  further  remarks 
upon  the  influence  of  this  deeper  religious  experience 
upon  Mr.  Otterbein's  preaching:  "One  of  the  results  of 
Mr.  Otterbein's  enlarged  liberty  was  a  modification  of  his 
manner  of  preaching.  Before  this  he  had  used  manuscript 
in  the  pulpit ;  but  now  he  had  something  direct,  practical, 
experimental,  to  urge  upon  the  people,  and  found  manu- 
script unnecessary  and  calculated  to  trammel."^  The 
example  of  this  learned  and  gifted  apostle  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  is  commended  especially  to  the  consideration  of 
those  younger  men  in  the  ministry  who  are  laying  aside 
the  more  perfect  freedom  of  extempore  address  for  the 
narrower  limitations  of  full  manuscript  discourse. 

II.       IN    TULPEHOCKEN,    FREDERICK    CITY,    AND    YORK. 

Toward  the  close  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  sixth  year  at  Lan- 
caster, in  1758,  he  again  pressed  his  resignation,  intending 
to  visit  his  old  home  in  Germany,  with  a  possibility  of 
not  returning.  The  resignation  w^as  reluctantly  accepted, 
and  Mr.  Otterbein  was  looking  forward  to  his  expected 
journey.  But  Providence  decreed  otherwise.  Further 
steps  were  yet  to  follow  that  would  assure  his  permanent 
residence  in  America,  and  lead  up  in  due  time  to  that 
greater  work  which  the  great  Head  of  the  church  had  ap- 
pointed for  him.  The  French  and  English  war  was  still 
in  progress,  and  ocean  travel  was  perilous,  while  disturbed 
conditions  in  continental  Europe  further  rendered  the  time 
inopportune.  He  therefore  resolved  upon  a  postponement 
of  his  journey,  but  not  wishing  to  remain  inactive  while 
he  was  waiting,  he  accepted  the   temporary  oversight  of 

1  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  71,  72,  81. 


52  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  Tulpeliockeii  charge.  This  charge  was  situated  in 
what  was  then  famiharly  known  as  the  Tulpehocken 
settlement.  This  settlement  extended  for  a  distance  of 
something  over  twenty  miles  along  Tulpehocken  Creek, 
a  small  stream  which  takes  its  rise  in  Lebanon  County,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lebanon,  and  empties  into  the  Schuylkill 
near  Reading.  The  church  edifice  was  a  commodious 
wooden  building,  erected  as  early  as  1745,  and  capable  of 
seating  as  many  as  six  hundred  people.^  Mr.  Otterbein's 
labors,  however,  extended  to  various  other  congregations, 
as  at  Reading  and  other  contiguous  places,  and  even  as 
far  as  Frederick  Cit}^  Maryland.  A  number  of  these 
congregations  being  most  of  the  time  without  pastors,  he 
visited  them  to  minister  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel. 

Mr.  Otterbein  on  this  charge,  as  previously  at  Lancaster, 
addressed  himself  with  much  earnestness  to  the  work  of 
encouraging  a  true  spirituality  among  the  people.  During 
the  week  he  visited  diligently  the  families  who  attended 
his  preaching  on  the  Sabbath,  conversed  with  them  per- 
sonally on  the  subject  of  their  salvation,  prayed  with 
them,  and  counseled  or  admonished  them  as  circum- 
stances might  indicate.  He  also  instituted  week-day  even- 
ing prayer-meetings — not  a  new  form  of  service  to  him, 
for,  as  we  have  seen,  he  regularly  held  these  meetings  in 
connection  with  his  work  at  Ockersdorf  before  coming  to 
America.  But  to  his  parishioners  in  Tulpehocken  the 
prayer-meeting  was  an  innovation  to  be  regarded  with 
distrust,  if  not  actually  opposed.  The  venerable  Rev. 
H.  G.  Spaytli,  the  first  historian  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  whose  life  was  in  part  contemporary  with  that 
of  Mr.  Otterbein,  speaks  thus  of  the  manner  in  which 
Mr.  Otterbein  conducted  these  meetings,  and  of  the  feelings 

1  See  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  84,  85. 


MR.  OTTEBBEIN  IN  AMERICA  63 

and  comments  of  the  people :  "  On  these  occasions  his 
custom  was  to  read  a  portion  of  Scripture,  make  some 
practical  remarks  on  the  same,  and  exhort  all  present  to 
give  place  to  serious  reflections.  He  would  then  sing 
a  sacred  hymn,  and  invite  all  by  kneeling  to  accompany 
him  in  prayer.  At  first,  and  for  some  time,  but  few,  if 
any,  would  kneel,  and  he  was  left  to  pray  alone.  .  .  . 
After  prayer  he  would  endeavor  to  gain  access  to  their 
hearts,  by  addressing  them  individually,  with  words  of 
tenderness  and  love."^ 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  such  labors,  earnestly  directed 
with  tears  and  gentle  entreaty,  would  in  due  time  bear 
their  legitimate  fruit.  AVhen  these  fruits  began  to  appear 
in  the  seriousness  and  contrition  of  some  of  the  members 
of  the  church,  others  began  to  call  in  question  the 
propriety  of  holding  the  prayer-meetings.  "What,"  said 
some  of  them,  "the  preacher,  and  men  and  women  kneel, 
and  pray,  and  weep,  and  call  upon  God  and  Jesus 
to  have  mercy  on  them !  Who  ever  heard  of  such  a 
thing ?"^  To  ws  of  the  present  time,  as  to  the  church  for 
a  century  past,  the  prayer-meeting,  with  its  frequent  out- 
bursts of  deep  religious  fervor,  is  so  familiar  a  form  of 
service,  and  so  greatly  esteemed  as  a  means  for  building 
up  believers  in  a  true  and  zealous  Christian  life,  that  w^e 
can  scarcely  conceive  of  a  sjDiritual  condition  so  apathetic 
and  lifeless  as  that  which  then  prevailed  so  broadly  among 
the  professing  followers  of  Christ.  But  Mr.  Otterbein's 
faithful  labors  among  these  people  were  greatly  blessed, 
and  in  due  time  his  earnest  labors  in  the  pulpit  and 
among  the  people  gained  for  him  their  warmest  affec- 
tion. It  was  indeed  a  most  interesting  spectacle — this 
young,  talented,  and  cultured  minister  going  about  among 
these    simple-hearted    people    with    unwearying    diligence 

'Spayth's  History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  pp.  23,  24.        ^  Ibid.,  p.  24. 


54  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  a  high  resolve  to  secure  for  them  their  best  spiritual 
good,  dealing  with  plain  but  loving  severity  with  the 
wayward,  and  with  tenderest  and  gentlest  regard  for 
all.  Mr.  Harbaugh,  the  German  Reformed  historian, 
speaking  of  this  period,  says  that  great  blessing  rested 
upon  his  labors.^ 

The  thoroughly  evangelical  methods  of  Mr.  Otterbein 
at  this  early  stage  of  his  work  in  America,  alike  in  Lan- 
caster and  in  Tulpehocken,  pointed  with  prophetic  finger 
toward  results  in  which,  when  they  were  realized,  he 
rejoiced  as  men  rejoice  in  the  harvest,  but  of  which  at 
the  time  he  had  not  the  most  distant  conception.  It  could 
not  be  otherwise  than  that  in  time  these  truly  spiritual 
methods  would  arouse  opposition  among  some  who  were 
his  associates  in  the  divine  calling,  but  who  did  not  share 
his  deep  inward  spiritual  experience.  But  let  us  of  the 
present  be  grateful  that  Mr.  Otterbein,  bringing  the  prayer- 
meeting  with  him  from  his  home  in  Germany,  thus  early 
introduced  it  among  his  parishioners  in  America,  and  that 
he  engrafted  it  into  the  institutions  of  the  Church  which 
in  time  he  founded.  Its  value  to  the  Church  has  been 
above  estimate.  The  successors  of  the  men  who  then 
disapproved  his  methods  have  happily  adopted  the  same 
form  of  service,  and  its  usefulness  is  attested  by  the 
practice  of  nearly  all  Christian  denominations. 

Rev.  John  Lawrence,  in  his  History  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church,^  in  referring  to  the  oppositions  encoun- 
tered by  Mr.  Otterbein  and  his  manner  of  meeting  them, 
says :  "  We  have  seen  that  pastors,  preachers,  and  people, 
not  a  few,  were  found  who  did  not  relish  these  meetings 
for  prayer,  but  opposed  them  as  an  innovation,  and  per- 
secuted  those   who   attended   them.     In   answer  to   these 

1  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  II.,  p.  58. 
«  Published  in  1860-«1.    Vol.  I.,  pp.  148, 149. 


MR.  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  55 

opponents,  such  passages  of  Holy  Scripture  as  the  follow- 
ing were  introduced  by  Mr.  Otterbein  :  '  0  come,  let  us 
worship  and  bow  down ;  let  us  kneel  before  the  Lord  our 
Maker'  (Ps.  95  :  6).  'Even  them  will  I  bring  to  my  holy 
mountain,  and  make  them  joyful  in  my  house  of  prayer : 
...  for  mine  house  shall  be  called  an  house  of  prayer  for 
all  people'  (Isa.  56  :  7).  'For  this  cause  I  bow  my  knees 
unto  the  Father.'  'I  will  therefore  that  men  pray  every- 
where' (Paul).  'Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
in  my  name'  (Jesus).  'Which  are  the  prayers  of  the 
saints'  (Rev.  5:  8;  8:3).  Nevertheless,  this  kneeling 
in  prayer,  and  these  meetings  especially  for  prayer  and 
religious  conference,  on  week  days  and  evenings,  met  with 
much  violent  opposition,  and  from  none  more  decided  and 
bitter  than  from  those  who,  from  their  sacred  and  holy 
calling,  should  have  been  prepared  to  give  them  their 
hearty  and  undivided  support."  Mr.  Spayth,  remarking 
further  upon  the  agency  of  these  prayer-meetings  in 
bringing  about  the  reformation  in  which  Mr.  Otterbein 
was  the  principal  figure,  forcibly  says,  "This  truth  is 
most  strongly  attested  by  witnesses  on  earth  and  saints 
in  heaven ;  and  it  remains  yet  to  be  proven,  whether 
the  reformation  of  the  world  can  be  prosecuted  with  any 
degree  of  success,  or  a  church,  however  well  estabHshed, 
maintain  her  vitality,  continue  a  light  to  the  world,  and 
be  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of  sinners,  in  the 
absence  of  these  meetings  as  secondary  means  of  grace." 
In  the  fall  of  the  year  1760,  Mr.  Otterbein  transferred 
his  labors  from  Tulpehocken  to  Frederick  City,  then 
called  Fredericktown,  Maryland.  This  was  in  answer  to 
a  second  call  from  the  congregation  in  Frederick,  a 
previous  call  having  been  extended  to  him  in  1759. 
The  second  call  was  accepted  under  the  pressure  of  a 
special  urgency  by  the  congregation,  the  coetus,  and  the 


56  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

synods  in  Holland.  By  reason  of  more  remote  location 
the  service  of  temporary  supplies  could  be  secured  only 
with  difficulty,  and  this  fact  was  pressed  to  induce  ^Mr. 
Otterbein  to  accept.  The  disturbed  conditions  of  the 
country  on  account  of  the  war  not  being  yet  quieted,  he 
seems  to  have  postponed  to  an  indefinite  time  his  cherished 
purpose  to  visit  his  home  in  the  Fatherland.  He  was 
not  a  stranger  to  the  people  in  Frederick,  having  visited 
them  several  times  to  supply  their  need  while  they  were 
without  a  pastor.  His  pastorate  in  Frederick  extended 
through  a  period  of  five  years. 

To  these  people,  as  elsewhere,  Mr.  Otterbein  came  as  a 
burning  and  shining  light.  He  preached  the  plain  truths 
of  the  gospel  with  great  urgency,  insisting  upon  a  thorough 
conversion  of  the  heart,  a  consciousness  through  the 
Spirit's  witness  of  present  salvation,  and  the  testimony 
of  a  pure  and  godly  life.  Many  of  the  peo^Dle  received 
his  words  gladly,  and  there  is  ample  evidence  that  his 
ministry  in  Frederick  was  in  a  high  degree  successful. 
Nevertheless,  there  were  the  worldly  and  sinful  in  the 
church,  some  of  them  influential,  to  whom  his  close  require- 
ments proved  a  most  serious  offense,  and  who,  while  they 
had  joined  pressingly  with  others  in  inviting  him  to 
become  their  pastor,  afterward  raised  a  mutiny  against  him, 
carrying  for  a  time  a  majority  of  the  congregation  with 
them.  These  men,  after  the  manner  of  the  Pharisees, 
who  prided  themselves  on  being  the  children  of  Abraham, 
and  on  a  strict  observance  of  the  outward  forms  of  the 
law,  held  that  having  been  baptized,  and  receiving 
statedly  the  communion  of  the  Lord's  supper,  nothing 
further  was  required  to  entitle  them  to  the  name  of 
Christian.  The  rigorous  arraignment  of  such  men, 
trusting  in  the  outward  formalities  of  worship,  leading 
unspiritual  and  even  ungodly  lives,  aroused  in  them  the 


MR,  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  57 

spirit  of  bitter  opposition.  They  were  angered  under 
his  searching  sermons,  and  would  not  endure  the  strict 
discipline  which  he  sought  to  enforce.  Their  behavior 
in  this  was  in  striking  contrast  with  that  of  the  people 
at  Lancaster,  who,  after  having  chafed  for  a  time  under 
the  same  type  of  ministry,  afterward  gladly  assented 
to  the  things  which  Mr.  Otterbein  required  as  conditions 
of  his  remaining  with  them,  and  finally  parted  from 
him  with  deep  and  affectionate  sorrow. 

An  incident  narrated  by  Mr.  Lawrence  illustrates  the 
temper  of  these  ungodly  members  of  the  church  in  Fred- 
erick :  "At  one  period  the  excitement  became  so  great 
that  a  majority  of  the  church  determined  on  his  summary 
dismission;  and,  to  effect  it  most  speedily,  they  locked 
the  church  door  against  him.  On  the  following  Sab- 
bath, when  the  congregation  assembled,  his  adherents, 
knowing  that  he  had  a  legal  right  to  the  pulpit,  were 
disposed  to  force  the  door ;  but  he  said  to  them  :  '  Not  so, 
brethren.  If  I  am  not  permitted  to  enter  the  church 
peaceably,  I  can  and  will  preach  here  in  the  graveyard.' 
So  saying,  he  took  his  stand  upon  one  of  the  tombstones, 
proceeded  with  the  regular  introductory  services  in  his 
usual  fervent  spirit,  delivered  a  sermon  of  remarkable 
power,  and,  at  its  close,  announced  preaching  for  the  same 
place  on  the  succeeding  Sabbath.  At  the  time  appointed 
an  unusually  large  concourse  assembled,  and  as  he  was 
about  to  commence  the  services  again  under  the  canopy 
of  the  heavens,  the  person  who  had  the  key  of  the  church 
door  hastily  opened  it,  saying:  'Come  in,  come  in!  I 
can  stand  this  no  longer.'"^  Mr.  Otterbein  doubtless 
remembered  at  this  time  how  the  Saviour  forewarned  the 
apostles  that  they  should  be  cast  out  of  the  synagogues, 

1  Lawrence's  History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Clirist,  Vol.  I.,  pp. 
178,  179. 


58  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  also  that  the  Lord  himself  had  a  like  experience  in 
his  own  city  of  Nazareth,  with  comforting  reflection  on 
his  words  :  "  The  discij^le  is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the 
servant  above  his  lord.  It  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that 
he  be  as  his  master,  and  the  servant  as  his  lord."  Dr. 
Drury,  remarking  on  this  incident,  observes  that  while 
among  the  Germans  so  deplorable  a  religious  condition 
existed,  things  were  not  any  better  among  the  English, 
and  recalls  that  only  ten  years  before  this  Jonathan 
Edwards,  in  New  England,  was  dismissed  from  his  church 
at  Northampton,  and  that  John  Wesley  preached  from 
his  father's  tombstone  at  Epworth,  the  door  of  the  church 
being  closed  against  him. 

Among  the  substantial  proofs  of  the  success  which 
attended  Mr.  Otterbein's  labors  at  Frederick,  notwith- 
standing these  oppositions,  may  be  mentioned  the  fact 
that  during  his  pastorate  the  congregation  built  a  new 
house  of  worship.  Of  this  enterprise  Dr.  Drury  remarks  : 
"Mr.  Otterbein's  labors  at  Frederick  were  much  blessed. 
In  1763  the  congregation  began  to  build  a  large  and 
substantial  stone  church,  to  take  the  place  of  the  former 
log  structure,  or  possibly  of  a  church  that  had  succeeded 
the  original  log  church.  The  next  year  the  Jiouse  was 
nearly  enough  completed  to  be  used  for  worship.  The 
building  was  subsequently  remodeled,  and  was  at  a  later 
time  rebuilt,  but  the  original  stone  tower,  still  standing, 
shows  that,  for  those  early  days,  the  building  was  of 
a  superior  character.  In  1762  a  stone  parsonage  was 
erected,  the  lot  having  been  purchased  the  preceding 
year."i 

In  the  year  1847  the  centennial  of  the  founding  of  this 
congregation  was  observed,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Daniel 
Zacharias,  who  was  its  pastor  from  1835  to  1873,  preached 

» Life  of  Otterbein,  1884,  pp.  100,  101. 


MR.  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  59 

the  centennial  sermon.  In  referring  to  the  building  of 
this  church  and  parsonage,  and  also  to  the  affectionate 
regard  which  Mr.  Otterbein  continued  to  cherish  for  the 
congregation  after  he  had  removed  to  another  field  of 
labor,  Dr.  Zacharias  says:  "During  Mr.  Otterbein's  labors 
in  Frederick,  the  church  in  which  we  now  worship  was 
built;  also  the  parsonage  which  has  been  the  successive 
residence  of  your  pastors  ever  since.  Many  other  im- 
provements in  the  external  condition  of  this  congregation 
were  likewise  made  during  this  period  ;  thus  showing  that 
Mr.  0.  w^as  not  only  a  very  pious  and  devoted  pastor,  but 
was  also  most  energetic  and  efficient  in  promoting  the 
outward  prosperity  of  the  church.  A  few  letters  are  still 
preserved  in  our  archives,^  w^ritten  by  Mr.  0.  while  at 
York,  to  members  of  this  charge.  From  these  letters, 
brief  as  they  are,  you  may  easily  gather  the  spirit  of  the 
man.  Though  laboring  now  in  another  field,  he  remem- 
bered still,  w^ith  affectionate  kindness  and  concern,  the 
people  wdiom  he  had  recently  left.  He  mourned  over 
their  difficulties,  and  endeavored  to  profit  them  by  im- 
parting unto  them  his  godly  counsels,  and  offering  up 
in  their  behalf  his  earnest  prayers." 

During  the  five  years  of  his  pastorate  at  Frederick  Mr. 
Otterbein  received  pressing  calls  to  go  to  other  places,  as 
Reading,  Oley,  and  Philadelphia.  The  church  in  the 
latter  city  was  especially  urgent  in  pressing  its  request. 
Four  letters  of  Mr.  Otterbein  relating  to  this  call  remain 
in  the  archives  of  that  church.  They  appear  in  Dr. 
Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  all  of  them  w^ritten  in  1763. 

It  was  also  during  his  pastorate  at  Frederick  that  Mr. 
Otterbein  was  married.  His  bride.  Miss  Susan  LeRoy, 
w^as   of    French    Huguenot   descent.      Her   ancestors   had 

1  These  letters,  Dr.  Drury  remarks,  can  no  longer  be  found.  Life  of  Otterbein, 
p.  101. 


60  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

fled  from  France  to  Switzerland  on  the  revocation  of  the 
edict  of  Nantes,  by  Louis  XIV.,  in  1685,  when  four 
hundred  thousand  of  the  best  citizens  of  France  sought 
refuge  in  other  countries,  and  in  1754  her  father  wdth 
his  family  came  to  America,  settling,  soon  after  their 
arrival,  in  Lancaster,  just  tw^o  years  after  Mr.  Otterbein 
became  pastor  in  that  city.  The  marriage  took  place  on 
the  19th  of  April,  1762,  the  Rev.  William  Stoy  officiating. 
Mr.  Otterbein  was  at  this  time  nearly  thirty-six  years  of 
age,  and  ^liss  LeRoy  tw^enty-six.  The  period  of  Mr. 
Otterbein's  married  life  w^as  of  brief  duration,  Mrs.  Otter- 
bein dying  on  the  27th  of  April,  1768,  just  six  years 
after  the  marriage.  Mr.  Otterbein  cherished  the  memory 
of  his  young  bride  with  the  tenderest  affection  to  the 
end  of  his  long  life.  Dr.  Drury  recalls  "a  beautiful 
tradition  that  only  tw^o  days  before  his  death  he  requested 
a  friend  to  bring  a  pocket-book,  made  by  the  tender 
hands  then  so  long  motionless  in  death,  and  that  gazing 
upon  the  carefully  preserved  keepsake,  he  kissed  it  wdth 
all  the  fondness  of  a  youthful  lover."  ^  The  dates  of  the 
marriage  of  ]\Ir.  Otterbein  and  of  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Otterbein  were  discovered  by  Dr.  Drury  in  the  venerable 
records  of  the  Lancaster  Reformed  church. 

Toward  the  close  of  his  five  years'  pastorate  at  Fred- 
erick, Mr.  Otterbein  accepted  a  call  from  the  church  at 
York,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  September,  1765,  he  removed 
to  that  place.  The  church  at  York  had  been  organized 
at  an  early  day,  and  had  become  large  and  influential. 
His  connection  with  this  church  continued  until  1774, 
when  he  resigned  to  assume  the  pastorate  of  the  newdy 
organized  independent  Reformed  church  in  Baltimore. 

Three  events  of  special  interest  occurred  during  his 
residence   at   York.     One   of  these  was  the  death  of  his 

1  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  n2. 


ME.  OTTERBEIN  IN  AMERICA  61 

beloved  wife,  in  April,  1768,  as  has  already  been  seen. 
Her  remains  were  conveyed  to  Lancaster,  the  home  of 
her  people,  for  interment.  A  second  w\as  his  first  meeting 
with  Martin  Boehm,  a  man  whose  life  work  was  to  be 
thereafter  so  intimately  associated  with  his  own.  This 
meeting  will  be  spoken  of  further  on.  The  third  was  the 
fulfillment  of  his  long-cherished  desire  to  visit  his  old 
home  in  Germany. 

The  voyage  to  Germany  was  undertaken  in  April, 
1770.  The  time  for  the  visit  was  auspicious.  The  wars 
in  America  had  been  ended,  and  peace  prevailed  in 
Europe.  Mr.  Otterbein  expected  to  return  to  America, 
and  so  did  not  resign  his  charge  at  York,  his  congrega- 
tion being  served  meanwhile  by  supplies.  His  visit 
continued  perhaps  a  little  over  a  year.  It  was  now 
eighteen  years  since  he  had  left  his  home  in  Germany 
to  become  a  missionary  to  America.  Happily,  time  had 
made  no  further  change  in  the  family  circle  than  the 
wider  distribution  of  some  of  its  members  to  various 
places  of  ministerial  service.  His  mother,  his  brothers, 
and  perhaps  his  sister,  were  all  living.  All  the  brothers 
were  honored  pastors,  except  John  Charles,  who  spent  his 
entire  hfe  as  a  professor  in  Herborn,  and  with  whom  the 
aged  mother  resided.  The  meeting  again,  after  so  many 
years  of  separation,  and  especially  with  the  beloved  mother, 
must  have  presented  tender  and  aff'ecting  scenes,  and  many 
an  interesting  story  of  life  in  the  New  World,  as  related 
by  the  Americaner,  must  have  enlivened  conversation. 

A  most  interesting  incident  occurred,  illustrating  the  new 
spiritual  life  which  some  of  the  brothers — history  does 
not  inform  us  whether  we  may  say  all — had  experienced. 
George  Godfrey,  residing  at  Duisburg,  was  probably  the 
first  of  the  brothers  whom  Mr.  Otterbein  met  on  his 
arrival    in  Germany.     Of   this   meeting  Dr.    Drury   says : 


62  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

"After  the  first  welcome  salutation  and  the  evening 
meal,  the  brothers,  in  the  privacy  of  the  study,  un- 
folded to  each  other  their  most  intimate  thoughts. 
Philip  William,  without  reserve,  and  with  a  full  heart, 
related  the  story  of  his  spiritual  experience.  George 
Godfrey  listened  with  the  deepest  attention,  and  rising 
from  his  chair  embraced  his  brother,  and  as  the  tears 
streamed  down  his  cheeks  said,  'My  dear  William,  we 
are  now^,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord,  not  only 
brothers  after  the  flesh,  but  also  after  the  spirit.  I  have 
also  experienced  the  same  blessing.  I  can  testify  that 
God  has  power  on  earth  to  forgive  sins  and  to  cleanse 
from  all  unrighteousness.'"^  Dr.  Drury  also  records  a 
tradition  that  on  his  visiting  his  oldest  brother,  John 
Henry,  at  Burbach,  he  preached  for  him  on  a  very  hot 
Sunday  afternoon  for  two  hours  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  thus 
proving  that  he  could  preach  as  well  without  the  cus- 
tomary gown  as  with  it,  or  appear  even  in  the  simplest 
habit,  and  that  he  did  not  think  two  hours  too  long  for 
the  delivery  of  an  important  message  to  a  congregation. 
The  followers  of  this  learned  and  great  divine  who  begin 
to  weary  under  a  sermon  as  soon  as  the  hand  on  the  dial 
passes  the  thirty-minute  mark  should  ponder  this  fact. 

During  the  period  of  his  residence  at  York  Mr.  Otterbein 
continued  to  make  frequent  visits  to  other  points  to  bear 
the  gospel  to  others  who  hungered  for  the  word,  engaging 
in  what  would  now  be  called  missionary  or  evangelistic 
work.  Many  of  these  visits  were  made  to  churches  unsup- 
plied  with  pastors ;  others  to  neighborhoods  where  no 
churches  were  built.  It  was  on  one  of  these  visits  that 
he  first  met  his  future  eminent  colaborer,  of  whom  the 
next  chapter  will  treat. 

*  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  123  ;  also  Unity  Magazine,  Vol.  III.,  No.  1. 


CHAPTER  III 

OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM 
I.       MARTIN    BOEHM. 

The  name  of  Martin  Boehm,  whose  memory  must  ever 
occupy  an  honored  place  in  United  Brethren  history,  has 
already  appeared  in  these  pages.  On  account  of  the 
prominence  he  gained  in  the  great  revival  movement 
and  in  the  subsequent  organization  of  the  Church,  as 
well  as  from  the  fact  that  the  people  among  whom  he 
was  for  many  years  a  greatly  esteemed  minister  contrib- 
uted a  considerable  number  to  the  early  adherents  of 
the  Church,  a  sketch  of  his  conversion  and  call  to  the 
ministry  will  here  be  in  place. 

We  have  already  seen  that  among  the  Protestant 
Germans  who,  toward  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
forsook  their  homes  in  the  old  country  to  escape  persecu- 
tion and  enjoy  the  blessings  of  religious  freedom,  were 
large  numbers  of  Mennonites.^  The  earlier  arrivals  of 
1683  were  followed  by  steadily  increasing  numbers  until 
in  1735  as  many  as  five  hundred  families  were  found  in 
Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  alone,  while  many  others 
found  homes  in  other  counties  of  that  State,  as  also  in 
Maryland  and  Virginia. 

This  larger  exodus  was  stimulated  in  part  by  the 
persecutions  to  which  the  ^lennonites  were  subjected  in 
Europe,  alike  in  Switzerland,  Germany,  and  Holland,  on 
the  part  of  other  Protestants,  on  account  of  their  peculiar 
views  and  practices,  which  prevailed  among  some  of  the 

» p.  34.  63 


64  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

numerous  parties  into  which  they  were  divided.  Adher- 
ing in  the  main  to  the  tenets  of  Menno  Simonis,  the 
most  distinguished  leader  among  them,  and  whose 
name  they  adopted,  they  lived  lives  of  great  simplicity, 
especially  as  regarded  dress,  the  severe  plainness  which 
still  characterizes  their  descendants  in  all  the  branches 
into  which  they  are  divided  being  rigorously  insisted 
upon.  In  religious  practice  and  in  their  relations  to 
the  state  they  sought  to  observe  a  simple  and  severe 
discipline,  rejecting  a  paid  clergy,  declining  to  hold  civil 
office,  and  refusing  to  take  oaths  or  go  to  war.  Infant 
baptism  they  regarded  with  decided  aversion.  In  general, 
they  sought  to  reintroduce,  according  to  their  concep- 
tion of  it,  the  type  of  the  apostolic  church  life.  In 
America  these  characteristics  are,  among  the  most  of  these 
people,  under  their  various  names,  still  preserved,  the  civil 
ballot,  that  highly  prized  privilege  of  citizenship,  being 
also  declined.  In  common  with  the  people  of  other 
churches  the  early  Mennonites  in  America  lapsed  into 
religious  formalism,  laying  much  stress  on  outward  forms 
and  observances,  notably  giving  rigid  attention  to  matters 
of  dress,  thus  substituting  a  severe  externalism  for  the 
true  inward  spiritual  life,  while,  however,  an  exemplary 
morality  in  the  affairs  of  daily  life  was  carefully  insisted 
upon.  The  exterior  life  of  these  simple-hearted  people 
could  not  but  commend  them  to  the  favorable  regard 
of  their  fellow  citizens.  It  will  be  noted  that  in  many 
things  they  bore  a  marked  similarity  to  the  Friends,  or 
Quakers,  with  whom  many  of  them,  by  their  residence  in 
William '  Penn's  colony,  were  brought  into  close  relations. 
But  with  the  almost  universal  low  condition  of  spirituality 
which  prevailed  among  them,  it  became  an  occasion  of 
surprise,  and  sometimes  of  alarm,  and  even  anger,  when 
their  members  found  their  way  to  a  better  religious  life 


Maetin  Boehm. 


OTTER BEIN  AND  BOEHM  65 

and  made  declaration  of  the   fact.     It   was   among  these 
people  that  Martin  Boehm  was  born. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Boehm  was  of  Swiss  origin.  His 
great-grandfather,  Jacob  Boehm,  was  well  connected,  and 
was  a  strict  member  of  the  Reformed  Church.  His  son, 
also  named  Jacob,  having  completed  his  apprenticeship 
to  a  trade,  was  sent  forth  for  the  usual  three  years'  service 
as  a  journeyman.  During  his  absence  from  home  he  fell 
in  with  the  Pietists,^  and,  approving  heartily  their  religious 
views  and  warm  spiritual  life,  he  attached  himself  to  them. 
On  returning  home,  making  known  his  changed  views 
and  his  new  religious  experience,  he  was  met  with  the 
utmost  indignation.  The  pastor  of  the  church  publicly 
denounced  him,  and  his  family  joined  in  the  angry 
opposition  to  him.  He  was  arraigned  and  convicted  of 
heresy,  and  upon  an  older  brother  was  laid  the  duty 
of  conducting  him  to  jail.  Possibly  the  brother's  heart 
relented  somewhat  against  the  cruel  and  unnatural  pro- 
ceeding. At  any  rate,  he  seems  to  have  so  far  relaxed 
his  vigilance  that  the  prisoner  found  a  way  to  escape. 
The  boundary  line  of  France  being  not  far  distant,  the 
convicted  heretic  was  soon  beyond  the  Swiss  jurisdiction, 

1  Pietism,  under  the  vigorous  direction  of  Spener,  was  a  reaction,  toward  the 
close  of  the  seventeenth  century,  against  the  orthodox  formalism  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  in  Germany,  which  had  gradually  supplanted  the  more 
earnest  spirituality  of  the  earlier  Lutheranism.  As  important  religious  move- 
ments are  liable  to  do,  it  fell  into  some  excesses  that  brought  against  it  bitter 
opposition,  and  even  persecution.  But  from  the  small  circle  which  at  first 
met  statedly  in  Spener's  study,  during  his  pastorate  at  Frankfort,  it  grew  grad- 
ually into  an  irresistible  movement,  gaining  at  first  a  foothold,  and  afterward 
a  real  triumph,  in  Leipzig  University,  while  the  University  of  Halle,  then 
newly  founded,  became  the  home  of  the  movement.  Spener  himself  was 
advanced  in  position,  becoming  court  preacher  at  Dresden,  where  by  his  speak- 
ing and  writing  he  pushed  forward  with  the  energy  of  a  true  revivalist-re- 
former the  work  which  had  so  deeply  enlisted  his  heart.  The  movement 
became  popular  with  the  masses,  and  assisted  greatly  in  restoring  a  better 
spiritual  life  to  Germany,  until  the  rising  tide  of  rationalism  began  to  chill 
and  beat  back  the  new  spiritual  forces.  The  school  of  Tubingen,  in  its  earlier 
days,  was  chiefly  based  on  the  principles  of  Pietism.  Consult  Schaff-Herzog 
Encyclopaedia,  Art.  "Pietism." 
5 


66  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  proceeding  along  the  Eliine  he  found  a  home  in  the 
Palatinate,  where  he  became  associated  with  the  Mennon- 
ites.  His  residence  here  w^as  made  permanent,  and  here 
he  married  and  reared  a  family.  One  of  his  sons,  also 
named  Jacob,  the  third  in  the  line  bearing  the  name,  came 
to  America  in  1715,  and  found  a  home,  with  others  of  his 
church  people  who  had  come  before  him,  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he  was  married  not  long  after 
to  Miss  Kendig,  a  most  worthy  young  woman,  also  of  the 
Mennonite  faith,  and  of  this  union  was  born  on  November 
30,  1725,  Martin  Boehm,  the  youngest  of  several  children. 
Jacob  Boehm  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  it  is  related 
of  Mrs.  Boehm,  as  illustrating  her  sturdy  strength,  that 
when  he  was  without  assistance  in  his  shop,  she  not 
unfrequently  assumed  the  duties  of  a  helper  at  the  bellows 
and  anvil.  Jacob  Boehm  was  a  devout  Mennonite,  and, 
like  his  father  before  him,  was  a  deacon  in  his  church. 

The  opportunities  for  education  in  America  in  the 
early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century  were  few,  and  Mr. 
Boehm's  education  was  accordingly  limited,  being  mostly 
received  in  the  home,  in  the  German  language.  But  he 
possessed,  happily,  a  vigorous  mental,  as  well  as  phys- 
ical, constitution,  a  clear  grasp  of  ideas,  and  sound 
judgment,  was  gifted  wdth  a  graceful  and  easy  flow  of 
speech,  and  had  a  pleasing  personal  bearing  which 
would  make  him  naturally  a  favorite.  Later  in  life 
he  acquired  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  English  language, 
with  ability  to  converse  with  ease,  and  became  possessor 
also  of  a  number  of  English  books.  His  father  being  a 
devout  Mennonite,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  an  officer  in  the 
church,  Mr.  Boehm  was  brought  up  as  a  true  son  of 
the  church.  Possessing  all  these  qualities,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  when  a  vacancy  occurred  in  the  pulpit 
of  the  local  church  of  which  the  Boehms  were  members, 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  67 

the  thoughts  and  hearts  of  the  people  should  have  turned 
toward  this  gifted  and  pious  young  man  in  their  own 
midst.  The  method  of  choosing  a  minister  among  the 
Mennonites  was  by  lot.  They  remembered  the  example 
of  Joshua  in  dividing  to  the  people  by  lot  their  inherit- 
ance in  Canaan,  that  of  Samuel  in  casting  lots  in  choosing 
the  first  king  of  Israel,  and  that  of  the  eleven  apostles 
casting  lots  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  defec- 
tion of  one  of  their  number,  and  also  the  scripture 
which  says  that  "the  lot  is  cast  into  the  lap,  but  the 
ordering  thereof  is  of  the  Lord."  Accordingly,  when, 
after  due  nominations  had  been  made,  and  much  earnest 
prayer,  the  lot  was  cast  for  a  successor  in  the  pulpit 
of  this  early  congregation,  we  can  easily  understand  that 
the  hearts  of  the  people  were  filled  with  gladness  when 
they  saw  that  the  choice  fell  upon  the  promising  and 
beloved  young  Martin  Boehm. 

Mr.  Boehm  was  at  this  time  in  his  thirty-third  year, 
just  a  little  past  the  age  at  which  Jesus  and  John  the 
Baptist  began  their  ministry.  He  had  married,  in  1753, 
Miss  Eve  Steiner,  who,  like  himself,  was  of  Swiss  ancestry 
and  of  the  Mennonite  Church.  She  is  described  as  a  "noble 
woman,"  and  "justly  loved  and  esteemed."  ^  Dr.  Drury 
remarks  that  the  parents  of  Mr.  Boehm  "spent  their  last 
days  with  him,  and  from  them  he  inherited  the  beautiful 
home  farm";  also  that  "the  father  died  in  1780,  rejoicing 
in  the  truths  into  wdiich  the  ministry  of  his  son  Martin 
was  the  means  of  leading  him."  Of  his  personal  appear- 
ance Dr.  Drury  says,  "He  is  described  as  being  a  short, 
stout  man,  with  a  vigorous  constitution,  an  intellectual 
countenance,  and  a  fine  flowing  beard,  which  gave  him, 
in  his  later  years,  a  patriarchal  appearance." 

Whether  Mr.  Boehm  ever  saw  Mr.  Otterbein  previous 

1  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  130. 


68  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

to  his  own  call  to  the  ministry,  and  his  remarkable  spir- 
itual experience  which  followed,  cannot  now  be  known. 
Eesiding  in  the  same  county  in  which  Mr.  Otterbein  was 
pastor,  it  is  not  improbable  that  he  knew  of  him.  But 
as  the  Mennonites,  from  their  experience  with  the  Reformed 
and  Lutherans  in  the  old  country,  would  naturally  be 
somewhat  shy  of  them  in  the  new,  there  is  no  likelihood 
that  Mr.  Boehm  ever  visited  Mr.  Otterbein's  church  in 
Lancaster,  and  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  Otterbein  did  not 
form  Mr.  Boehm's  acquaintance  until  many  years  after 
the  latter  became  a  minister. 

Mr.  Boehm's  conversion  presented  an  interesting  illus- 
tration of  the  manner  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit  moved 
upon  the  hearts  of  men  in  different  churches  and  in 
different  localities,  independently  of  any  personal  contact 
of  those  who  were  thus  affected.  We  have  already  seen 
that  Mr.  Otterbein  was  deeply  moved  by  the  divine 
Spirit  impressing  upon  his  own  heart  the  precious  import 
of  the  Scripture  truths  wdiich  he  preached  to  others,  and 
also  that  while  he  was  thus  affected  he  felt  unprepared 
to  give  spiritual  counsel  to  one  who  came  to  him  to 
inquire.  We  are  now  to  see  that  ^Ir.  Boehm,  w^hen  he 
was  called  to  become  a  minister,  felt  that  he  had  no 
message  for  his  people  until  by  the  power  of  the  same 
Spirit  which  directed  his  call  he  was  made  a  new  man 
in  Christ.  Under  these  circumstances  he  found  himself 
presently  under  the  greatest  embarrassment  and  mortifica- 
tion. Again  and  again,  according  to  the  custom  of  his 
church,  he  arose  to  add  an  exhortation,  after  an  older 
minister  had  preached,  and  found  himself  able  only  to 
stammer  out  a  few  incoherent  sentences.  He  read 
diligently  the  Scriptures,  that  he  might  have  something 
to  say,  but  when  the  trial  came  his  memory  would  not 
call  up  a  single  passage,  and  he  was  obliged  to  sit  down 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  69 

in  confusion.  Some  months  passed  in  this  way,  with  only 
failure  to  reward  his  efforts,  and  he  began  to  be  in 
despair.  To  be  a  preacher  and  have  nothing  to  say  he 
felt  to  be  a  deep  reproach.  Yet  he  did  not  doubt  that 
he  was  genuinely  called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
because  the  church  had  laid  its  hand  upon  him  after  the 
divine  order  as  understood  by  his  people.  He  believed 
also  fully  in  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  and  he  availed  himself 
earnestly  of  this  refuge  of  troubled  souls.  While  he  was 
thus  engaged,  he  tells  us,  the  thought  presented  itself  to 
him  as  though  one  had  audibly  spoken,  "You  pray  for 
grace  to  teach  others  the  way  of  salvation,  and  you  have 
not  prayed  for  your  own  salvation."  This  thought  clung 
to  him  day  by  day  until  he  felt  himself  to  be  a  poor, 
lost  sinner.  His  agony,  he  says,  now  became  very  great. 
One  day,  he  continues,  when  he  was  plowing  in  the  field, 
he  knelt  down  at  each  end  of  the  furrow  to  pray.  The 
word  lost,  lost  (verlohren),  went  with  him  every  round. 
At  length,  midway  in  the  field  he  could  go  no  farther ; 
he  sank  down  by  his  plow,  and  cried,  "  Lord,  save  ;  I  am 
lost ! "  Then  came  to  him  the  answer,  "  I  am  come  to 
seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost."  His  heart  took 
hold  of  these  precious  words  of  the  mighty  Saviour ;  and 
"in  a  moment,"  he  says,  "a  stream  of  joy  w^as  poured 
over  me."  Thus  as  a  result  of  prolonged  struggle,  and 
in  answer  to  unceasing  prayer,  there  came  into  his  heart 
the  blessing  of  an  unutterable  peace. 

Mr.  Boehm,  after  this  blessed  experience,  at  once  left 
his  plow  in  the  field,  and  proceeded  to  his  house  to  tell 
his  wife  the  joyful  news.  Now  he  found  too  that  his 
tongue  was  loosened.  With  the  emancipation  of  the 
heart  came  liberty  of  utterance.  The  live  coal  from 
the  altar  which  touched  the  prophet's  lips  inspired  his 
lips  also   with  a  new-found   eloquence.     And  now,  while 


70  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

before  he  had  wished  the  Sabbath  far  away,  he  wished  it 
were  already  here.  When  the  day  came,  and  the  elder 
brother  had  preached,  he  arose  and  told  his  experience. 
He  felt  that  he  now  indeed  had  a  message  to  deliver.  To 
the  people  it  was  as  novel  as  to  him  it  was  joyful.  Many, 
as  they  listened  to  his  story,  were  deeply  moved,  and 
attested  their  feeling  with  weeping.  On  the  following 
Sabbath,  as  he  was  speaking,  his  soul  w^as  aflame  with  his 
theme,  and  soon  he  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  the  congre- 
gation, while  the  people  about  him  were  weeping  aloud.^ 

To  see  this  plain,  simple-hearted  young  man,  who  before 
had  been  so  reserved  and  unable  to  speak  connectedly 
even  a  half  dozen  sentences,  now  suddenly  stand  forth 
with  rich  gifts  of  speech,  with  scripture  ready  to  support 
every  utterance,  and  with  power  to  sway  the  hearts  of 
the  people  in  a  manner  they  had  never  before  witnessed, 
occasioned  among  his  listeners  the  profoundest  surprise. 
It  was  as  when  the  people  of  Nazareth  wondered  at  the 
gracious  words  which  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth  of  a 
young  man  of  their  own  city,  whom  they  had  known  as 
a  humble  carpenter  among  them,  or  when  the  apostles 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost  spoke  with  power  of  interpreta- 
tion that  startled  the  doctors  of  the  law  and  astonished 
all  their  hearers.  But  we  will  let  Mr.  Boehm  himself 
tell  of  this  in  his  own  simple  way,  as  translated  by  Mr. 
Spaytli :  "This  caused  considerable  commotion  in  our 
church,  as  well  as  among  the  people  generally.  It  was 
all  new  ;  none  of  us  had  heard  or  seen  it  before.  A  new 
creation  appeared  to  rise  up  before  me  and  around  me. 
Now  scripture  before  mysterious,  and  like  a  dead  letter 
to  me,  was  plain  of  interpretation,  'was  all  spirit,  all  life 
\^alles  Geist  und  Lebeny  Like  a  dream,  old  things  had 
passed  away,  and  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  awoke  to  new  life, 

1  Spayth's  History,  pp.  80,  31. 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  71 

new  thoughts,  new  faith,  new  love.  I  rejoiced  and  praised 
God  with  my  whole  heart.  This  joy,  this  faith,  this  love, 
I  wished  to  communicate  to  those  around  me,  but  when 
speaking  thereof,  in  public  or  in  private,  it  made  different 
impressions  on  different  persons.  Some  gave  a  mournful 
look,  some  sighed  and  wept,  and  would  say,  '  Oh  !  Martin, 
are  we  indeed  lost?'  'Yes,  man  \_der  3Iensch]  is  lost! 
Christ  will  never  find  us  till  we  know  that  we  are  lost.'  " 
Mrs.  Boehm,  he  tells  us,  was  the  next  lost  sinner  to  feel 
that  she  was  saved  and  to  experience  the  same  love  and 
joy  of  assurance. 

Mr.  Spayth,  who  personally  knew  Mr.  Boehm  in  his 
old  age,  and  greatly  admired  him  for  the  qualities  of  his 
character,  as  well  as  for  his  invaluable  service  in  the 
Church,  thus  continues  :  "  It  was  a  rich  treat  to  hear  this 
father  in  Israel  tell  of  his  call  to  the  ministry  ;  how  he 
shrank  from  it  when  proposed,  and  how  it  resulted  in 
his  finding  Jesus,  the  lost  sinners'  friend,  and  the  joy 
he  felt  when  the  burden  of  sin  was  taken  away.  Of  this 
he  loved  to  speak  in  his  old  age,  and  would  recur  to  it 
with  an  animation  peculiar  to  himself  To  see  his  eyes 
light  up,  and  his  whole  countenance  assume  for  the  time 
a  youthful  appearance,  in  contrast  with  his  snowy  locks 
and  rich  white  beard,  was  a  sight  a  pen  dipped  in  liquid 
hght  could  not  describe.  .  .  .  'Now  I  am,'  he  would  say, 
'a  servant  and  a  child  of  God.  When  this  took  place,  I 
knew  of  no  one  who  had  felt  and  enjoyed  the  sweet 
influence  of  the  love  of  God  in  the  heart  but  Nancy  Keagy, 
my  mother's  sister.  In  our  family  connection  and  in  her 
immediate  neighborhood  she  was  known  as  a  very  pious 
woman,  and  she  was  pious.'  This  is  the  Martin  Boehm, 
chosen  of  God,  to  whom,  second  to  William  Otterbein,  the 
rise  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  is  justly  due."^ 

'  Spayth's  History,  pp.  30,  31. 


72  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

From  the  time  of  Mr.  Boehm's  conversion  he  began  to 
preach  the  necessity  of  a  thorough  regeneration  of  the 
heart.  He  was  hstened  to  by  many  with  sincere  pleasure 
and  profit.  His  declaration  of  the  doctrine  of  the  new 
birth  found  acceptance  with  some,  and  they  entered  into 
the  same  experience  with  him.  Others  regarded  his 
preaching  with  doubt,  and  apprehended  unfavorable  re- 
sults to  follow  what  appeared  to  them  as  unwarrantable 
zeal  or  even  fanaticism.  Nevertheless,  in  the  following 
year,  1759,  he  was  advanced  to  the  rank  of  a  chief 
pastor,  or  bishop,  as  the  office  of  a  full  pastor  among  the 
Mennonites  was  called. 

II.       MR.    BOEHM    IN    VIRGINIA. 

Mr.  Boehm  continued  to  preach  with  much  fervor,  and 
with  evident  fruits  following,  the  doctrines  of  a  true  con- 
version and  spiritual  life  to  his  own  congregation.  But 
it  was  not  long  until,  like  Mr.  Otterbein,  he  found  occasion 
to  make  visits  elsewhere,  and  preach  to  others  of  his  own 
denomination  the  same  precious  truths  of  the  gospel.  The 
first  of  these  visits  of  note  was  made  to  some  Mennonite 
settlements  in  w^hat  was  then  called  New  Virginia.  From 
1750  onward  there  w^as  a  considerable  emigration  from 
Pennsylvania  across  Maryland  into  the  inviting  valley  of 
the  Shenandoah  River.  Among  these  people  were  numer- 
ous Mennonite  families,  and  among  them  some  of  Mr. 
Boehm's  relatives.  About  the  year  1761  much  religious 
interest  was  awakened  among  these  pioneer  settlers,  the 
particular  occasion  being  the  advent  among  them  of  some 
of  George  Whitefield's  converts,  who  preached  the  doc- 
trine of  a  conscious  present  salvation.  The  Mennonites 
in  the  valley  were  not  yet  organized  into  congregations, 
and  were  without  preaching  by  ministers  of  their  own 
church.     Some  of  them  became  seriously  affected  by  the 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  7S 

new  teaching  which  they  heard,  and  were  greatly  per- 
plexed about  what  they  should  do.  In  this  condition  of 
affairs  they  resolved  to  send  to  Pennsylvania  for  some 
minister  of  their  own  people,  who  should  give  them  the 
counsel  they  needed.  Their  request  was  brought  to  Lan- 
caster County,  and  to  Mr.  Boehm's  church.  On  the  advice 
of  his  brethren,  Mr.  Boehm  responded  to  their  call.  Noth- 
ing could  have  been  more  opportune.  He  was  the  mes- 
senger whom  God  had  especially  fitted  to  carry  instruction 
to  a  people  whose  hearts  were  ready  to  receive  it.  The 
Ethiopian  treasurer  inviting  Philip  to  join  him  in  his 
chariot  and  expound  to  him  the  Scriptures,  the  centurion 
of  Csesarea  sending  to  Joppa  for  Peter,  and  these  people 
in  the  new  settlements  of  the  Shenandoah  sending  for 
Boehm  present  parallel  instances  of  the  Holy  Spirit's 
touching  the  heart  for  the  reception  of  truth  and  then 
sending  the  chosen  man  to  declare  it.  The  results  of  Mr. 
Boehm's  visit  to  these  people  were  most  profitable,  and 
no  less  so  to  himself  in  the  added  impulse  that  was  given 
him  to  follow  out  new  lines  of  evangelistic  work  among 
the  people  of  his  denomination,  such  as  Mr.  Otterbein 
was  following  among  his. 

To  present  a  glimpse  of  the  character  and  spirit  of 
Mr.  Boehm's  work  in  this  region  a  page  or  two  from 
the  account  of  Mr.  Spayth,  who  heard  from  his  own  lips 
the  story  of  much  of  his  work,  is  here  transcribed. 
Frequently  persons  were  found  who  were  in  the  deepest 
spiritual  distress,  but  unable  to  find  any  one  who  could 
intelligently  assist  them  in  their  gropings  for  the  light. 
Among  these  was  a  daughter  of  a  Mr.  Keller,  a  Mennonite, 
who  heard  one  of  the  "new  lights,''  as  they  were  called, 
preach.  She  was  brought  under  deep  conviction  for 
sin,  and  her  parents,  kind  and  sympathetic,  but  knowing 
nothing  beyond  the  outer  formalities  of  religion,  were  not 


74  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

able  to  assist  her.  "Oh,  my  heart,  my  heart  is  sick,"  she 
exclaimed ;  "  God  is  displeased  with  me.  0  my  father, 
what  shall  I  do?  I  am  lost!  Oh,  is  there  no  mercy  for 
me?"  The  best  reply  she  received  was:  "You  are  not  lost. 
God  loves  you.  'Ilercy/^  AVhat  do  you  mean  by  mercy? 
You  are  not  wicked — never  were.  You  are  a  believer. 
Come,  now;  no  more  crying.  Why?  wherefore  do  you 
weep?"  These  words  were  repeated  to  her  often,  but  tliere 
was  no  one  to  pray  with  her,  or  point  her  to  the  Saviour. 

"At  this  crisis,"  says  Mr.  Spayth,  "Boehm  arrived.  After 
salutations  had  passed  and  refreshments  had  been  taken, 
Boehm,  in  conversation  with  Keller,  inquired  how  matters 
stood  in  religion.  Keller  replied,  'Most  of  us  are  doing 
well,  but  some  new  doctrine  has  of  late  been  preached 
by  men  hereabout  which  has  caused  some  disturbance 
among  us." 

"'And  what  do  those  men  preach?'"  inquired  Mr. 
Boehm. 

"'What  they  preach  is  rather  more  than  I  can  tell  you, 
but  it  is  different  from  what  we  have  ever  heard.  Our 
daughter,  about  two  months  since,  was  to  their  meeting, 
and  has  not  been  like  herself  since.' 

"  'And  for  two  months  she  has  been  to  no  preaching  ?' " 
asked  Mr.  Boehm. 

"'No;  we  could  not  think  of  letting  her  go,  and  have 
wished  she  had  never  heard  those  people.  And,  as  we  have 
written  you,  there  are  others  of  our  people  just  like  her, 
melancholy  and  dejected,  and  all  we  can  get  them  to  say 
is,  "We  are  lost  [^verlohren'j  ;  we  have  no  true  religion"; 
and  for  this  reason  we  have  sent  for  you,  believing  that 
they  would  be  advised  by  our  own  preachers,  and  dismiss 
their  gloomy  thoughts.' 

"  'And  where  is  that  daughter  of  yours  ? ' "  again  inquired 
Mr.  Boehm. 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  75 

"'Why,'  answered  the  mother,  'there  you  see  she  is,  and 
has  not  spoken  a  word  to  any  of  us  to-day.' 

"Boehm  said  he  now  moved  his  chair  by  her  side,  and 
sought  to  draw  from  herself  the  state  and  exercises  of 
her  mind.  She  Hstened  to  him  for  some  time  in  silence, 
breathing  at  intervals  a  deep  sigh.  Soon  the  fountain 
of  her  tears  was  opened  again,  and  she  began  to  weep 
aloud,  saying,  'Is  it  possible  that  you  a  stranger  know 
what  I  have  felt  and  suffered  for  weeks,  and  you  believe 
that  I  am  a  sinner,  that  I  am  lost  ? ' 

"'Yes,  I  know  this,  my  daughter;  but  I  know  Jesus 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  w^hich  is  lost ;  and  he  is 
come  to  find  you  and  to  save  you  to-night  yet.  Do  you 
believe  in  Jesus  ? ' 

" '  Yes,  I  believe  there  is  Jesus  Christ ;  but  have  I  not 
offended  him  ?  Will  he  not  come  and  judge  the  world 
and  me  ?     Oh,  that  he  w^ould  but  save  me  ! ' 

"'Come,'  said  Boehm,  'we  will  kneel  down  and  pray.' 
They  kneeled  down.  The  agony  of  Miss  Keller  w^as  great. 
She  cried,  '  Lord,  save  or  I  perish  ! ' 

"'Yes,'  said  Boehm,  'hold  to  that;  he  wdll  save,  and 
that  speedily.'  And  so  it  was.  She  was  blest,  and  all 
her  sorrow  was  gone — dissolved  in  joy. 

"Seeing  this,  her  mother  cried  out,  'Martin,  Martin! 
what  have  you  done?  Why  did  you  come?  What  will 
become  of  us  now?' 

" '  Yes,'  replied  her  husband,  '  what  will  become  of  us  ? 
We,  too,  are  lost ! ' 

"That  night,"  continues  Mr.  Spayth,  "was  a  night  of 
mourning  and  a  night  of  joy  for  that  house,  for  the 
morning  light  found  them  all  rejoicing  in  the  love  of 
God." 

The  further  results  of  this  visit  of  Mr.  Boehm  were  the 
spiritual  enlightenment   and  happy    conversion   of   many 


76  THE  UNITED  BBETHBEN  IN  CHRIST 

more  of  the  people  in  whose  interest  he  had  come.  The 
fact  of  the  conversion  of  this  family,  with  the  story  that 
Mr.  Boehm  was  preaching  a  doctrine  which  they  as  Men- 
nonites  had  not  before  received,  was  soon  told  among  the 
people  of  his  name.  A  wonderful  awakening  followed, 
with  precious  and  enduring  fruits.  But  to  Mr.  Boehm 
himself  the  visit  proved  of  the  greatest  practical  conse- 
quence. It  was  to  him  a  deepening  and  broadening  of 
experience.  His  own  conviction  of  the  truths  he  was 
preaching  was  greatly  intensified,  and  he  felt  himself 
strengthened  as  he  had  not  been  before  for  the  declara- 
tion of  the  doctrine  of  a  conscious  new  birth.  But  we 
w411  let  Mr.  Spayth  tell  us  further : 

"As  before  remarked,  this  coming  of  his  [Mr.  Boehm] 
at  this  time  was  of  great  importance  to  himself.  It  was 
learning  a  lesson  of  experience  from  the  great  ]\Iaster, 
which  he  could  not  so  soon,  nor  so  eff'ectually,  have  learned 
at  home.  Hence  we  can  well  fancy  with  what  feelings, 
with  what  inspired  thoughts  and  hopes,  he  returned  to  his 
own.  Timidity  and  the  fear  of  offending  his  elder  brethren, 
he  said,  were  much  removed.  He  was  confirmed  in  the 
truth  and  correctness  of  his  own  experience.  He  became 
satisfied  that  men  ever^^where  must  repent,  and  that  this 
repentance  must  be  accompanied  by  a  godly  sorrow, 
deeply  felt ;  and  that  there  can  be  no  rest,  no  peace,  no 
hope,  and  no  faith  without  it.  He  further  remarked, 
with  much  earnestness,  that  after  his  return  he  felt  'an 
impression  or  a  presentiment  that  God  would  visit  his 
people  and  give  them  repentance  unto  life.'  He  had  news 
to  tell  his  friends  at  home  of  what  he  had  witnessed  in 
Virginia ;  that  there,  too,  he  found  and  saw  persons,  some 
young  and  some  advanced  in  life,  who  felt  themselves 
lost,  some  of  whom  had  nearly  despaired  of  obtaining 
grace  and  mercy,  believing  themselves  the  chief  of  sinners ; 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  77 

that  many  had  been  blest,  and  rejoiced  in  Jesus  Christ 
their  Saviour  before  he  left.  He  could  tell  them  how 
affecting  their  parting  was — what  sympathy,  what  broth- 
erly love,  what  melting  of  hearts  !  He  never  had  witnessed 
such  scenes  in  his  life  before,  the  simple  relation  of  which 
carried  conviction  to  some  at  the  time  of  his  return 
home.  This  year,  as  well  as  the  two  years  following, 
were  years  of  joy  to  Brother  Boehm.  .  .  .  God  was  with 
him,  and  he  did  not  preach  without  effect.  .  .  .  Pungent 
convictions  extorted  the  cry,  'Lost,'  which  were  followed 
by  happy  conversions." 

Mr.  Boehm  found  himself  impelled,  like  Mr.  Otterbein, 
to  extend  habitually  his  labors  to  other  fields  beyond  the 
limits  of  his  own  neighborhood  and  congregation.  He 
visited  other  churches  of  his  own  people,  preaching  to 
them  the  same  doctrines  relating  to  repentance,  the  for- 
giveness of  sin,  and  a  conscious  present  salvation,  as  he 
preached  to  the  people  of  his  own  charge,  and  as  he  had 
preached  on  his  visit  to  Virginia.  And  similar  results 
everywhere  followed.  Men  and  women  were  brought 
under  deep  conviction  for  sin,  and  earnestly  sought 
pardon  and  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ.  And  every- 
where the  people  expressed  their  astonishment  at  his 
preaching,  and  at  the  manifest  tokens  of  God's  power 
among  them  through  the  Holy  Spirit.  All  was  a  new 
revelation,  alike  to  people  in  the  church  and  out  of  it, 
and  numbers  found  the  salvation  he  declared.  And  all 
this  could  not  come  to  pass  without  also  in  time  arousing 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  unspiritual  and  worldly  in 
the  church,  as  will  be  more  fully  seen  farther  on.  Many 
of  those  who  were  thus  converted  under  Mr.  Boehm's 
preaching  were  of  the  number  who  were  afterward 
gathered  into  the  United  Brethren  Church,  after  an 
organization  had  been  effected. 


78  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

III.       MEETING    OF    OTTERBEIN    AND    BOEHM. 

It  is  now  time  that  we  see  the  first  meeting  of  these 
two  eminent  evangehsts,  Otterbein  and  Boehm.  It  is  from 
fourteen  to  sixteen  years  since,  in  1752,  Mr.  Otterbein 
came  to  America,  and  became  pastor  of  the  Reformed 
church  in  the  city  of  Lancaster.  And  it  is  from  eight 
to  ten  years  since  Mr.  Boehm,  in  1758,  was  chosen  to  be 
minister  in  the  Mennonite  church  in  his  own  neighborhood 
in  Lancaster  County.  We  have  seen  that  each  of  them, 
after  a  special  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  began  to  preach, 
with  greatly  increased  definiteness  and  enlarged  power, 
the  Scripture  truths  relating  to  a  conscious  salvation  in 
Christ ;  and  also  that,  with  the  new  spiritual  fervor  that 
burned  in  their  ow^n  hearts,  they  felt  themselves  impelled 
to  go  beyond  the  limits  of  their  own  parish  boundaries 
that  they  might  proclaim  a  clearer  light  and  a  23recious 
present  salvation  to  others  of  their  brethren.  Each,  how- 
ever, was  content  to  limit  his  labors  chiefly  to  the  people 
of  his  own  church,  and  such  as  were  allied  to  them,  or 
might  come  voluntarily  wdthin  the  sphere  of  their  in- 
fluence. Mr.  Otterbein  was  now  pastor  of  the  Reformed 
church  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Mr.  Boehm  continued 
as  pastor,  or  bishop,  in  the  nomenclature  of  his  denomina- 
tion, of  the  Mennonite  society  to  whose  service  he  was 
first  chosen,  in  Lancaster  County. 

Mr.  Boehm,  like  Mr.  Otterbein,  exhibited  much  activity 
in  this  wider  preaching  of  the  word,  and  the  meeting  at 
which  the  two  met  was  held  by  his  appointment.  The 
date  was  Whitsuntide  in  1766,  1767,  or  1768.  The  year 
cannot  now  be  fully  determined.  Dr.  Drury,  in  his  Life 
of  Otterbein,  after  considering  the  question  somewhat 
exhaustively,  places  the  limit  of  time  as  not  earlier  than 
1766,  nor  later  than  1768,  with  a  preference  for  the  later 
date.     The  place  of   meeting  was  the  farm  of  Mr.  Isaac 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  79 

Long/  in  a  Mennonite  neighborhood,  in  Lancaster  County, 
and  the  building  in  which  the  principal  meeting  was 
held  was  Mr.  Long's  barn,  a  large  structure,  capable  of 
accommodating  a  numerous  congregation.  The  people 
assembled  in  great  numbers,  from  Lancaster,  York,  and 
Lebanon  counties,  too  many  for  all  to  find  room  in  the 
barn,  and  an  overflow  meeting  was  held  in  the  orchard. 
At  this  meeting  were  present  several  ministers,  among  them 
the  "Virginia  preachers,"  as  they  were  called,  lay  preachers, 
who  came  from  the  settlement  in  Virginia  which  Mr. 
Boehm  had  previously  visited.  One  of  these  addressed 
the  overflow  meeting  in  the  orchard.  Mr.  Otterbein  came 
from  York  for  the  purpose  of  attending  the  meeting,  but 
whether  by  invitation  of  Mr.  Boehm,  or  wholly  of  his 
own  accord,  is  not  now  known.  The  meeting  was  called 
erne  gro^^e  Versammlung,  "a  great  meeting,"  a  name  com- 
monly applied  to  like  assemblages  then  and  down  to 
much  later  days.  The  term  "big  meeting,"  for  a  pro- 
tracted or  revival  meeting,  is  still  familiar  in  some  parts 
of  the  country. 

At  this  meeting  Mr.  Boehm  preached,  while  Mr.  Otter- 
bein sat  beside  him  a  deeply  interested  listener.  As 
Mr.  Boehm  proceeded  with  his  discourse,  his  heart  glowing 
with  spiritual  fervor,  Mr.  Otterbein's  soul  kindled  with 
responsive  feeling.  The  great  burning  truths  which  Mr. 
Boehm  proclaimed  were  the  same  which  he  had  himself 
long  been  accustomed  to  declare,  and  he  felt  that  there 
indeed  stood  before  liim  a  fellow  apostle  of  the  same  gospel 
which  was  mighty  to  save,  a  true  brother  in  the  ministry 
of  Christ's  word.     AVhen    Mr.   Boehm   ceased,  and   before 

1  According  to  Rev.  M.  J,  Mumma,  in  the  Watchword  of  February  1,  1896, 
there  were  three  brothers  named  Long,  — Isaac,  John,  and  Eenjamin,  — all 
of  them  men  of  excellent  character,  and  members  of  the  Mennonite  Church. 
Some  of  their  descendants  still  reside  in  the  same  neighborhood  and  adhere 
to  the  faith  of  their  ancestors,  being  esteemed  as  most  worthy  people  in 
their  church. 


80  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

he  had  time  to  sit  down,  Mr.  Otterbein  arose,  and  with 
a  heart  filled  to  overflowing,  cast  his  arms  about  Mr. 
Boehm  in  warm  embrace,  and  exclaimed,  "TFi?'  sind 
Bruder^^ — "AVe  are  brethren."  The  incident  was  a  most 
remarkable  one,  truly  dramatic  and  impressive,  and 
presenting  contrasts  of  striking  character.  In  personal 
appearance  and  bearing  there  w^as  the  greatest  unlikeness. 
Mr.  Boehm,  as  we  have  already  seen,  was  of  rather  short 
stature,  plain  and  simple,  though  pleasing  and  effective, 
in  speech,  and  attired  in  the  severely  plain  garments 
peculiar  to  his  people.  ^Ir.  Otterbein,  on  the  other  hand, 
was  tall,  of  noble  and  commanding  presence,  and  bearing 
the  marks  of  elegant  culture.  But  with  these  differences 
of  birth  and  education,  they  were  under  the  higher 
dominion  of  the  one  divine  Spirit,  and  their  thoughts 
and  hearts  flowed  together  as  one.  Much  historical 
significance  has  been  attached  to  this  incident,  as  it  is 
thought  to  have  suggested  the  name  of  the  Church  when, 
years  later,  it  was  brought  to  actual  organization. 

The  participants  in  this  meeting  were  Mennonites, 
Reformed,  Lutherans,  and  others,  all  moved  by  the  same 
Holy  Spirit,  which  had  brought  them  a  new  birth  in 
Christ  Jesus.  The  early  traditions  indeed  have  it  that 
something  more  was  done  in  the  way  of  promoting  union 
than  simply  joining  together  in  a  feast  of  spiritual  fel- 
lowship in  Christ,  though  this  was  a  most  blessed  end 
gained  in  a  period  when  church  lines  were  most  sharply 
drawn,  and  when,  especially  between  Mennonites  and 
Reformed,  there  was  but  little  recognition  of  even  the 
outward  amenities  which  distinguish  people  of  diflPerent 
churches  at  the  present  time.  Dr.  Drury,  in  speaking  of 
this  meeting,  says,  "The  feature  deserving  of  the  most 
abiding  remembrance  in  connection  with  this  meeting  is 
that  Otterbein,  Boehm,  and  the  Virginia  preachers  present 


OTTERBEIN  AND  BOEHM  81 

are  said  to  have  formed  a  union,  with  some  simple  but 
definite  conditions  as  its  basis."  ^  One  of  these  conditions 
was  liberty  in  the  practice  of  baptism.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  Reformed  Church  practiced  infant  baptism, 
the  mode  in  all  cases  being  sprinkling,  while  the  Men- 
nonites  baptized  only  adults,  the  mode  being  by  pouring. 
The  "Virginia  preachers,"  if  they  were  the  followers  of 
Whitefield's  converts,  Whitefield  being  of  the  Church  of 
England,  may  have  held  to  infant  baptism,  and  to  sprink- 
ling as  the  preferred  mode.  The  services  at  these  meetings, 
it  should  be  remembered,  were  conducted  exclusively  in 
the  German  language.^ 

1  Life  of  OUerbein,  p.  139. 

2  The  barn  in  which  this  memorable  meeting  was  held  is  described  by  Dr. 
Drury,  in  his  Life  of  Otterbein,  as  built  of  stone,  one  hundred  and  eight  feet 
long,  and  of  corresponding  width,  and  contained  on  the  floor  above  the  base- 
ment six  apartments,  some  for  storage  purposes  only,  others  for  thrashing.  The 
barn  is  still  standing,  as  is  also  the  original  residence,  located  in  the  rear  of  the 
later  building  seen  in  our  engraving.  Rev.  M.  J.  Mumma,  who  visited  the  place 
recently,  writes  that  from  a  date  on  the  barn  it  is  thought  to  have  been  built 
in  1754.  The  masonry  is  of  a  high  order.  The  thatched  roof  of  early  times 
has  given  way  long  since  to  a  better  covering.  The  building  appearing  in  the 
foreground  is  a  later  structure.  The  location  is  a  beautiful  farm,  six  miles 
northeast  of  the  city  of  Lancaster. 


Second  Period— 1774-1  soo 

CHAPTER  IV 

MR.  OTTERBEIN  CALLED  TO  BALTIMORE 

I.       A   NEW    ERA    IN   MR.    OTTERBEIN's    LIFE. 

We  have  seen  in  the  preceding  pages  how  the  Lord 
prepared  two  men  with  special  endowments  of  grace  for  a 
broader  work  than  that  to  which  their  ordinary  calhng  led 
them.  Both  these  men,  for  some  years  unacquainted  with 
each  other,  were,  through  the  strong  impulse  of  the  divine 
Spirit,  led  forth  to  proclaim  to  others  besides  the  people  of 
their  own  congregations,  in  more  definite  terms,  the  doctrine 
of  the  new  birth  and  a  deeper  spiritual  experience.  This 
true  evangelistic  work  was  followed  with  much  gracious  fruit. 
Many  who  heard  them  listened  at  first  with  surprise,  then 
with  gladness,  to  this  new  evangel.  But  we  are  now  to  trace 
again  more  definitely  the  course  of  the  more  eminent  of  the 
two  distinguished  leaders  of  the  movement,  Mr.  Otterbein. 

The  year  1774  marked  an  era  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance in  the  work  of  Mr.  Otterbein.  He  was  now  to  enter 
upon  the  pastorate  of  an  independent  congregation,  in  the 
city  of  Baltimore,  to  remain  in  its  service  during  the  rest 
of  his  life,  a  period  extending  through  about  thirty-nine 
and  a  half  years.  The  position  assumed  by  this  church 
at  its  organization,  and  permanently  maintained  after- 
ward, and  the  relation  it  subsequently  sustained  to  the 
movement  which  culminated  in  the  formation  of  the 
Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  justify  here  a 
somewhat  detailed  statement  of  its  history. 

82 


MR.   OTTERBEIN  CALLED  TO  BALTIMORE  83 

II.     THE    REFORMED    CHURCH    IN    BALTIMORE. 

The  first  German  Reformed  church  in  Baltimore  was 
organized  about  tlie  year  1750,  but  a  regular  pastor  was 
not  secured  until  in  1760.  This  period  of  ten  years 
was  coincident  with  that  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  service  in 
Lancaster  and  Tulpehocken,  and  during  this  time  he 
made  occasional  visits  to  this  church  to  supply  in  part 
its  necessities.  His  earnest  and  spiritual  preaching  to  its 
people  was  the  sowing  of  seed  which  was  to  bear  valuable 
fruit  afterward.  A  goodly  number  of  the  members  accepted 
gladly  the  gospel  of  a  true  spiritual  life,  and  these  came 
to  be  known  as  an  evangelical  party  in  the  church.  This 
number  was  materially  increased  by  the  removal  into  the 
city  of  persons  who  had  been  converted  under  Mr.  Otter- 
bein's preaching  at  other  places.  About  the  year  1770 
the  congregation  became  involved  in  serious  difficulty  on 
account  of  their  pastor,  Rev.  John  Christopher  Faber. 
Mr.  Faber  was  the  first  pastor  of  this  church,  having 
served  it  since  1760.  It  is  said  of  him  that  his  minis- 
trations were  formal  and  languid,  and,  what  was  much 
more  serious,  that  he  "led  an  offensive  life."  He  did  not 
during  this  time,  nor  until  1774,  hold  connection  with 
the  Reformed  synod,  having,  on  his  arrival  from  Ger- 
many, taken  charge  of  the  congregation  in  an  irregular 
manner.  The  converted  portion  of  the  congregation 
listened  to  his  preaching  and  accepted  from  his  hands 
the  sacraments  of  the  church  with  little  pleasure.  The 
time  came  at  last  when  they  earnestly  sought  for  a  change 
of  pastors.  But,  being  in  a  minority,  their  wishes  were 
disregarded  by  the  larger  number,  who,  on  the  principle 
of  "like  people,  like  priest,"  determinedly  adhered  to  the 
incumbent  pastor. 

In  some  manner  now  not  quite  apparent,  Rev.  Benedict 
Schwope,  a  Reformed  minister  preaching  near  Baltimore, 


84  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

became  involved  in  the  strife.  Mr.  Schwope  first  appears 
as  an  elder  in  the  Reformed  church  at  Pipe  Creek, 
Maryland,  1763,  and  as  early  as  1754  his  name  is  found 
on  the  church  list  at  York.  In  1770  he  was  an  applicant 
for  ordination  before  the  coetus.  Mr.  Faber  laid  against 
him  the  charge  of  fomenting  the  trouble  in  his  congrega- 
tion. The  issue,  according  to  ]\Ir.  Harbaugh,  was  laid 
before  the  coetus.  A  committee  of  investigation  was 
appointed,  who,  after  careful  inquiry,  failed  to  sustain  Mr. 
Faber,  but  did  sustain  Mr.  Schwope.  The  latter  was 
then  received  into  membership  in  the  coetus  and  regularly 
ordained.^  A  statement  of  these  facts  concerning  Mr. 
Schwope  is  important  here,  since  he  appears  in  the 
following  year  as  the  leader  and  first  pastor  of  that  part 
of  the  congregation  wdiicli  became  afterward  for  so  many 
years  Mr.  Otterbein's  church.  He  was  also  chiefly  in- 
strumental, in  connection  with  Francis  Asbury,  afterward 
Bishop  Asbury,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in 
inducing  Mr.  Otterbein  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  this 
church. 

III.       A    NEW    CONGREGATION    ORGANIZED. 

The  crisis  came  in  1771.  The  failure  to  secure  a  change 
in  the  pastorate  led  to  the  withdrawal  of  the  evangelical 
party  from  the  Reformed  church.  Having  settled  upon 
the  course  they  would  pursue,  they  called  Mr.  Schwope 
to  become  their  pastor,  and  soon  afterward  purchased 
several  lots  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  church.  The 
ground  secured  is  situated  on  Conway  Street,  Howard's 
Hill,  and  is  that  upon  which  the  old  historic  brick  church 
still  stands,  erected  during  ^Ir.  Otterbein's  pastorate,  in 
1786.  A  frame  house  sufficient  for  the  immediate  needs 
of  the   congregation  was  built  soon  after  the  purchase  of 

»  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  II.,  p.  390. 


MB,   OTTERBEIN  CALLED  TO  BALTIMORE  85 

the  ground,  to  be  succeeded  later  by  the  more  substantial 
edifice.  The  title  to  this  ground  was  not  vested  in  the 
German  Reformed  Church,  or  trustees  representing  the 
church,  but  in  chosen  members  of  the  congregation,  with 
power  of  transmission  to  their  successors.  The  form  of 
this  trust  was,  toward  the  middle  of  the  present  century, 
challenged  in  a  tedious  contest  in  the  civil  courts,  but  after 
thorough  and  exhaustive  inquiry,  was  fully  and  finally 
confirmed.  The  clear  and  definite  purpose  of  this  form 
of  investiture  was  that  of  maintaining  the  independence 
of  the  congregation  and  the  freedom  of  its  property  from 
the  ownership  or  control  of  the  German  Reformed  Church. 
The  coetus  of  the  Reformed  Church  made  earnest  and 
praiseworthy,  but  unsuccessful,  efforts  to  bring  about  a 
reconciliation  between  the  now  divided  sections  of  the 
original  body.  In  the  year  1771,  according  to  an  official 
paper  in  the  archives  of  the  Otterbein  Church,  at  a  session 
of  the  coetus  at  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  deputies  of  both 
parties  were  present,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  coetus 
agreed  upon  the  dismissal  of  Mr.  Faber,  which  was 
accordingly  done,  and  also  to  call  unitedly  a  preacher 
from  the  coetus.  The  call  was  extended  to  Mr.  Bluhmer, 
but  declined,  and  the  coetus  decided  to  send  to  the  church 
a  minister  who  was  expected  to  arrive  soon  from  the  Synod 
of  Holland.  The  majority,  or  old  church  section,  however, 
did  not  wait  for  the  coming  of  the  expected  minister, 
but  hastily  chose  a  Mr.  W.  Wallauer,  who  had  meanwhile 
arrived,  though  unsent,  from  Holland.  Mr.  Wallauer 
proved  even  less  acceptable  than  IMr.  Faber,  and  so  the 
trouble  was  in  no  degree  mollified.  The  version  thus 
given  is  that  of  the  official  record  in  the  Otterbein  Church, 
and  is  presumably  Mr.  Otterbein's  understanding  of  the 
matter.  It  is  due  to  say  that  another  version,  differing 
from  this  somewhat,  represents  that  Mr.  Faber  and   Mr. 


86  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Schwope  were  both  to  resign,  and  that  Mr.  Schwope's 
people  dechned  to  permit  him.  In  1772  no  progress  was 
made  toward  reunion.  In  1773  Mr.  Schwope  desired  to 
resign,  and  a  call  was  extended  to  Mr.  Otterbein,  which 
he  declined.  The  request  continued  to  be  pressed,  and 
Mr.  Otterbein  finally  consented  upon  the  condition  of  the 
approval  of  the  coetus.  This  body,  at  its  session  of  1773, 
did  not  favor  his  acceptance,  and  the  delegates  of  both 
parties  then  agreed  to  call  Dr.  Hendel ;  or,  if  Dr.  Hendel 
should  decline,  the  two  parties  were  to  unite  in  selecting 
another  minister  from  the  coetus.  The  old  church  refused 
to  ratify  this  agreement,  and  the  effort  to  secure  harmony 
was  again  a  failure. 

IV.   MR.  OTTERBEIN  ACCEPTS  THE  PASTORATE. 

In  the  spring  of  1774  Mr.  Otterbein  was  again  urged 
to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the  new  congregation.  This 
time,  after  due  consideration,  he  consented,  notwithstand- 
ing the  action  of  the  coetus  the  year  before.  The  coetus, 
feeling  that  its  action  had  not  been  fully  regarded,  ex- 
pressed, at  the  fall  session  of  the  same  year,  a  mild 
disapproval.^  The  request  of  the  congregation  was  this 
time  supported  by  a  personal  letter  to  Mr.  Otterbein  by 
Francis  Asbury,  who  had  arrived  in  America  in  1771, 
and  now  resided  in  Baltimore.  Mr.  Asbury  had  not  yet 
met  Mr.  Otterbein,  but  had  heard  from  Mr.  Schwope  an 
account  of  his  evangelical  work.  Their  life-long  friend- 
ship was  begun  at  this  time.  This  letter  was  dated 
February  2,  1774.  A  minute  referring  to  this  appears  in 
Mr.  Asbury's  Journal,  as  follows :  "  On  Saturday  Mr. 
S.  came  to  consult  me  in  respect  to  ^Ir.  O.'s  coming 
to   town.     We    agreed   to   promote   his  settling   here,  and 

*  For  a  lull  presentation  of  this  part  of  the  history  the  reader  is  referred  to 
Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  155  If. 


MR.   OTTERBEIN  CALLED  TO  BALTIMORE  87 

laid  a  plan  nearly  similar  to  ours — to  wit,  that  gifted  per- 
sons amongst  them  who  may,  at  any  time,  be  moved  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  to  speak  for  God,  should  be  encouraged, 
and  that  if  the  synod  would  not  agree,  they  were  still  to 
persevere  in  the  line  of  duty."  The  principle  involved 
had  already  been  in  practice  by  Mr.  Schwope  himself 
— that  of  unordained  men  appearing  in  the  pulpit  as 
preachers  of  the  word.  Mr.  Asbury  at  this  time,  and  for 
a  number  of  years  afterward,  remained  unordained,  and 
regarded  himself  as  a  lay  preacher.  To  this  unordained 
class  for  a  series  of  years  belonged  most  of  the  preachers 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  and  United  Brethren  churches 
alike.  Mr.  Otterbein,  however,  was  not  lacking  in  this 
respect,  having  been  duly  ordained,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  three  years  before  coming  to  xVmerica,  by  the  laying 
on  of  hands,  according  to  the  authorized  forms  of  the 
German  Reformed  Church. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  OTTEEBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE 

I.       THE    OTTERBEIN    CHURCH    FORMALLY   ORGANIZED. 

Mr.  Otterbein  took  charge  of  the  congregation  in  Bal- 
timore on  May  4,  1774.  He  had  now  been  in  America 
twenty-two  years,  and  was  nearly  forty-eight  years  of  age. 
He  was  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  mature  manhood,  and 
brought  his  splendid  powers  to  the  service  of  this  church 
in  a  time  of  suffering  and  trouble.  The  growth  of  the 
church  was  not  rapid,  and  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
breaking  out  soon  afterward,  there  were  many  barriers  to 
its  more  speedy  enlargement.  The  German  population 
of  the  city  was  at  that  time  small,  the  entire  number  of 
the  inhabitants,  of  all  nationalities,  being  not  over  six 
thousand.  During  the  long  and  wearisome  period  of  the 
war  but  few  German  immigrants  came  to  America,  and 
those  who  came  mostly  sought  homes  in  the  country  dis- 
tricts. After  the  close  of  the  war  more  favorable  conditions 
gradually  set  in,  and  in  the  year  1785  the  congregation, 
now  somewhat  increased  in  numbers,  effected  a  full  and 
formal  organization,  and  adopted  a  series  of  rules  for  its 
own  government.  These  rules,  which,  after  so  long  a 
lapse  of  time,  have  acquired  much  historic  interest,  are 
dated  January  1,  1785,  and  are  officially  signed  by  Mr. 
Otterbein,  as  pastor  of  the  church,  and  by  the  elders  and 
trustees.  The  rules  are  preceded  by  a  historical  statement 
which  possesses  a  permanent  interest,  and  is  therefore 
here  presented  with  them.  As  the  rules  were  drawn  up 
by  Mr.  Otterbein,  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  the  preamble  was 

88 


M 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  89 

also  from  his  hand.  Its  historical  accuracy,  though  some 
of  its  points  have  been  disputed,  we  therefore  rest  with 
Mr.  Otterbein,  preferring  to  take  his  affirmation  rather 
than  that  of  any  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  controversy 
of  that  time.  The  translation  from  the  original  document 
in  the  German  language  was  made  by  Rev.  H.  G.  Spayth. 
The  paragraph  "Article  14"  is  the  transcript  of  a  minute 
in  the  proceedings  of  the  coetus  of  1775,  at  Lebanon, 
Pennsylvania,  where  Mr.  Bucher,  the  secretary,  was  then 
pastor.^ 

THE  CHURCH  BOOK  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL 
REFORMED  CHURCH.  ^ 

HOWARD'S  HILL,    BALTIMORE. 

In  the  Name  of  the  Triune  God:    Amen. 

In  the  year  1771  there  stood  in  the  Reformed  church  in  Baltimore 
a  preacher  by  the  name  of  Faber  ;  but  forasmuch  as  said  Faber  was 
not  in  fellowship  with  the  Reformed  preachers  in  Pennsylvania, 
that  is,  he  was  not  a  member  of  the  coetus  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  likewise  led  an  offensive  life,  a  division  took  place  in  this 
church.  In  the  month  of  October  of  the  said  year,  the  said 
Reformed  preachers  met  in  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  where  depu- 
ties from  both  parties  of  this  divided  church  attended.  Here  it 
was  resolved  to  dismiss  said  Faber,  which  was  done.  ^  Both 
parties  agreed  now,  unitedly,  to  call  a  preacher  from  the  coetus, 
and  to  offer  this  call  to  Mr.  Bluhmer.  This  was  done,  but  the 
call  was  not  accepted  by  him.  The  coetus  now  resolved  to  send 
to  the  Baltimore  church  a  preacher  from  among  the  four  who, 
at  that   time,   according  to   letters   from    Holland,  were   on   their 

iRev.  John  Conrad  Bucher  was  a  pastor  greatly  beloved  by  his  people. 
He  died  suddenly,  at  an  advanced  age,  at  a  wedding  at  Annville,  five  miles 
from  Lebanon,  his  body  being  borne  on  a  bier  carried  on  the  shoulders  of 
some  of  his  parishioners,  at  the  head  of  a  sorrowing  procession,  to  his  home 
in  Lebanon.  On  his  tombstone  at  Lebanon  his  name  appears  simply  as 
Conrad  Bucher,  the  same  as  in  our  minute,  being  abbreviated  as  Mr.  Otterbein 
commonly  did  his  name  to  "William,"  omitting  "Philip."  See  Fathers  of  the 
Reformed  Church,  Harbaugh,  Vol.  II.,  p.  115. 

2 The  name  "Evangelical  Reformed  Church"  was  the  title  taken  by  the 
congregation. 

3  This  has  reference  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  congregation,  and  not 
the  coetus.  Of  the  latter  he  did  not  become  a  member  until  1774,  and  so  could 
not  have  been  dismissed  from  that  body  at  the  earlier  date.  See  Fathers  of 
the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  II.,  p.  400. 


90  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

way,  and  now  daily  exiDected.  In  the  meantime  there  came  to 
Pennsylvania  W.  Wallauer,  whom  the  Synod  of  Holland  had  not 
sent.  The  opposite  party,  without  saying  a  word  to  the  other  party, 
contrary  to  the  agreement  and  the  resolve  of  the  coetus,  brought 
him  away,  and  received  him  as  their  preacher.  But  at  the  next 
coetus,  which  was  held  in  the  year  1772,  deputies  from  both  parties 
attended  ;  and  the  coetus  protested  against  Wallauer  ^  and  the 
conduct  of  his  party,  and  declared  that  they  could  take  no  further 
notice  of  them.  Scarcely  any  hope  being  now  left  of  a  reunion, 
the  remaining  members  of  this  church  found  themselves  under  the 
necessity  of  looking  about  for  another  preacher,  and  of  forming 
a  church  for  themselves.  A  call  was  made  to  William  Otterbein, 
who  then  stood  in  the  Reformed  church  in  York;  but  he  refused 
because  of  the  disorganized  condition  of  the  congregation ;  but,  after 
repeated  solicitations,  he  expressed  a  willingness  to  accept,  provided 
the  coetus  should  give  consent.  At  the  next  coetus,  deputies  from 
both  parties  appeared  again,  and,  before  a  final  action  was  taken 
in  the  matter  with  Otterbein,  a  union  took  place,  and  William 
Hendel  was  proposed  as  preacher,  to  which  the  deputies  of  both 
parties  consented.  But,  a  few  days  after  the  return  home  of  the 
deputies,  the  opposite  party  rejected  the  proposition,  and  all  to 
which  their  deputies  had  pledged  themselves.  The  division  was 
now  greater  than  at  any  former  period.  The  prospect  of  a  reunion 
entirely  vanished,  and  the  members  of  this  church,  who  had  before 
addressed  William  Otterbein,  saw  the  absolute  necessity  of  forming 
a  church  for  themselves,  and  they  gave  Otterbein  a  new  call,  which 
he  finally  accepted;  and  subsequently,  in  the  year  1775,  it  was,  by 
the  coetus  held  in  Lebanon,  confirmed. 

Article  14:  After  due  consideration,  the  coetus  deems  it  proper 
[good]  that  Domine  Otterbein  continue  in  his  pastoral  office. 
From  rejjort  it  aj^pears  that  his  labors  are  blest,  and  the  oj^posing 
party  cease  the  strife. 

Conrad  Bucher,  Sec.  pro  tem. 

^Mr.  Harbaugh  speaks  of  Mr.  Wallauer  as  coming  to  America  in  1771, 
"without  any  recommendations  from  the  Fathers,"  that  is,  from  the  Synod 
of  Holland,  "in  consequence  of  which  coetus  did  not  receive  him."  He 
says  that  he  succeeded  Mr.  Faber  in  Baltimore,  in  1772,  and  according  to  a 
letter  from  the  coetus  to  Holland,  dated  May  2, 1776,  he  had  then  left  Baltimore; 
and,  further,  that,  according  to  other  testimony,  he  had  left  his  congregation 
to  join  the  British  army.  All  of  this  harmonizes  with  the  record  in  the 
"Church  Book"  of  the  Otterbein  congregation,  and  statements  from  other 
sources  as  to  his  unfitness  for  the  pastorate.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the 
account  given  by  Mr.  Harbaugh  of  both  these  men,  Mr.  Faber  and  Mr.  "Wallauer, 
is  in  no  sense  flattering  and  in  no  way  out  of  agreement  with  what  is  said 
in  the  "Church  Book."  The  memoir  of  Mr.  Faber  is  dismissed  with  five  brief 
lines.     See  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  pp.  399,  400. 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  91 

CHURCH  BOOK. 

William  Otterbein  came  to  Baltimore  May  4,  1774,  and  com- 
menced his  ministerial  work.  Without  delay,  and  by  the  help  of 
God,  he  began  to  organize  a  church,  and,  as  far  as  it  was  i^ossible 
for  him,  to  bring  it  within  the  letter  and  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. 
Such  disciplinary  church  rules  as  were  needful,  were  therefore  from 
time  to  time  adopted,  made  known,  and  the  im^oortance  of  keei)ing 
them  earnestly  enjoined. 

But  the  afflicting  and  long-continued  war,  and  the  dispersion, 
on  account  of  the  same,  of  many  of  its  members  into  the  interior 
of  the  country,  prevented  those  rules  from  being  written  in  a  book 
for  their  preservation. 

But  through  and  by  the  goodness  of  God,  peace  and  quietness 
being  restored,  and  the  gathering  together  of  former  members, 
with  a  considerable  addition  of  new  members,  the  church  finds 
herself  at  this  time  considerably  increased.  Therefore,  it  is  unani- 
mously concluded  and  ordained  by  the  whole  church,  to  bring 
the  constitution  and  ordinances  of  this  church  into  the  following 
form,  which  we  hold  as  agreeing  with  the  Word  of  God;  and  for 
their  permanency  and  perpetual  observance,  herewith  record  and 
preserve : 

1.  By  the  undersigned  preacher  and  members  who  now  consti- 
tute this  church,  it  is  hereby  ordained  and  resolved,  that  this  church, 
which  has  been  brought  together  in  Baltimore  by  the  ministration 
of  our  present  preacher,  W.  Otterbein,  in  the  future  consist  of  a 
preacher,  three  elders,  and  three  trustees,  an  almoner,  and  church 
members;  and  these  together  shall  pass  under  and  by  the  name, 
"The  Evangelical  Reformed  Church." 

2.  No  one,  whoever  he  may  be,  can  be  preacher  or  member  of 
this  church  whose  walk  is  unchristian  and  oflfensive,  or  who  lives 
in  some  open  sin.     (I.  Tim.  3:1-3;  I.  Cor.  5  :  11-13.) 

3.  Each  church  member  must  attend  faithfully  the  public 
worship  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  at  all  other  times. 

4.  This  church  shall  yearly  solemnly  keep  two  days  of  humilia- 
tion, fasting,  and  prayer,  which  shall  be  designated  by  the  preacher 
—  one  in  the  spring,  the  other  in  the  autumn,  of  the  year. 

5.  The  members  of  this  church,  impressed  with  the  necessity 
of  a  constant  religious  exercise,  suffering  the  word  of  God  richly 
and  daily  to  dwell  in  them  (Col.  3  :  16;  Heb.  3  :  13;  10  :  24,  25), 
resolve  that  each  sex  shall  hold  meetings  apart,  once  a  week,  for 
which  the  most  suitable  day,  hour,  and  place  shall  be  chosen,  for 
the  males  as  well  as  the  females;  for  tlie  first,  an  hour  in  the 
evening,   and  for  the  last  an  hour  in  the  daytime,  are  considered 


92  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  most  suitable.  lu  the  absence  of  the  jDreacher,  an  elder  or 
trustee  shall  lead  such  meetings. 

The  rules  for  these  special  meetings  are  these: 

(a)  No  one  can  be  received  into  them  who  is  not  resolved  to 
flee  the  wrath  to  come,  and,  by  faith  and  repentance,  to  seek  his 
salvation  in  Christ,  and  who  is  not  resolved  willingly  to  obey  the 
disciplinary  rules  which  are  now  observed  by  this  church  for  good 
order  and  advance  in  godliness,  as  well  as  such  as  in  the  future 
may  be  added  by  the  preacher  and  church  vestry;  yet  alwaj's 
excepted,  that  such  rules  are  founded  on  the  Word  of  God,  which 
is  the  only  unerring  guide  of  faith  and  practice. 

(6)  These  meetings  are  to  commence  and  end  with  singing  and 
prayer;  and  nothing  shall  be  done  but  what  will  tend  to  build  up 
and  advance  godliness. 

(e)  Those  who  attend  these  special  meetings  but  indifferently, 
sickness  and  absence  from  home  excepted,  after  being  twice  or 
thrice  admonished,  without  manifest  amendment,  shall  exclude 
themselves  from  the  church. 

{d)  Every  member  of  this  church  should  fervently  engage  in 
private  worship,  morning  and  evening  pray  with  his  family,  and 
himself  and  his  household  attend  divine  worship  at  all  times. 

{e)  Every  member  shall  sedulously  abstain  from  all  backbiting 
and  evil-speaking  of  any  person,  or  persons,  without  exception, 
and  especially  of  his  brethren  in  the  church.  (Rom.  15:  1-3;  II. 
Cor.  12:  20;  I.  Pet.  2:  1;  Jas.  4 :  11.)  The  transgressor  shall,  in 
the  first  instance,  be  admonished  privately;  but  the  second  time 
he  shall  be  openly  rebuked  in  the  class-meeting. 

(/)  Every  one  must  avoid  all  worldly  and  sinful  company,  and 
to  the  utmost  shun  all  foolish  talking  and  jesting.  (Ps.  15  :  4;  Eph. 
5 :  4-11.)    This  offense  will  meet  with  severe  church  censure. 

{g)  No  one  shall  be  permitted  to  buy  or  sell  on  the  Sabbath,  nor 
attend  to  worldly  business,  or  to  travel  far  or  near,  but  each  shall 
spend  the  day  in  quietness  and  religious  exercises.     (Isa.  58  :  13,  14.) 

{h)  Each  member  shall  willingly  attend  to  any  of  the  private 
concerns  of  the  church,  when  required  to  do  so  by  the  preacher 
or  vestry ;  and  each  one  shall  strive  to  lead  a  quiet  and  godly 
life,  lest  he  give  offense,  and  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the 
adversary.     (  Matt.  5  :  14-16;  I.  Pet.  2  :  12.) 

6.  Persons  expressing  a  desire  to  commune  with  us  at  the  Lord's 
table,  although  they  have  not  been  members  of  our  churcli,  shall 
be  admitted  by  consent  of  the  vestry;  provided  that  nothing  justly 
can  be  alleged  against  their  walk  in  life,  and  more  especially  when  it 
is  known  that  they  are  seeking  their  salvation.  After  the  prepara- 
tion sermon,  such  persons  may  declare  themselves  openly  before  the 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  93 

assmnbly,   also,   that  they  are  ready  to   submit  to  all  wholesome 
discipline;   aud  thus  they  shall  be  received  into  the  church. 

7.  Forasmuch  as  the  difference  of  people  and  denominations 
ends  in  Christ  (Rom,  10  :  12;  Col.  3  :  11),  and  availeth  nothing  in 
him,  but  a  new  creature  (Gal.  6:13-16),  it  becomes  our  duty, 
according  to  the  gospel,  to  commune  with,  and  admit  to  the  Lord's 
table,  professors,  to  whatever  order  or  sort  of  the  Christian  church 
they  belong. 

8.  All  persons  who  may  not  attend  our  class-meetings,  nor 
partake  of  the  holy  sacrament  with  us,  but  attend  our  public 
worship,  shall  be  visited,  by  the  preacher,  in  health  and  in  sickness, 
and  on  all  suitable  occasions.  He  shall  admonish  them,  baptize 
their  children,  attend  to  their  funerals,  imjpart  instruction  to  their 
youths;  and,  should  they  have  any  children,  the  church  shall 
Interest  itself  for  their  religious  education. 

9.  The  preacher  shall  make  it  one  of  his  highest  duties  to  watch 
over  the  rising  youth,  diligently  instructing  them  in  the  j)rinciples 
of  religion,  according  to  the  Word  of  God.  He  should  catechise 
them  once  a  week;  and  the  more  mature  in  years,  who  have 
obtained  a  knowledge  of  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel,  should  be 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  striving,  through  divine  grace, 
to  become  worthy  recipients  of  the  holy  sacrament.  And  in  view 
of  church  membership,  such  as  manifest  a  desire  to  this  end  should 
be  thoroughly  instructed  for  a  time,  be  examined  in  the  presence  of 
their  parents  and  the  vestry,  and,  if  approved,  after  the  prej^aration 
sermon,  they  should  be  presented  before  the  church,  and  admitted. 

10.  The  church  is  to  establish  and  maintain  a  German  school, 
as  soon  as  possible  ;  the  vestry  to  spare  no  effort  to  procure  the  most 
competent  teachers,  and  devise  such  means  and  rules  as  will  promote 
the  best  interests  of  the  school. 

11.  That,  after  the  demise  or  removal  of  the  preacher,  the  male 
members  of  the  church  shall  meet,  without  delaj^,  in  the  church 
edifice,  and,  after  singing  and  prayer,  one  or  more  shall  be  proposed 
by  the  elders  and  trustees.  A  majority  of  votes  shall  determine 
the  choice,  and  a  call  shall  be  made  accordingly;  but  should  the 
preacher  on  whom  the  choice  falls  decline  the  call,  then  as  soon  as 
possible  others  shall  be  proposed,  and  a  choice  made.  But  here 
it  is  especially  reser\^ed,  that  should  it  so  happen  that  before  the 
demise  or  removal  of  the  preacher  his  place  should  already  have 
been  provided  for,  by  a  majority  of  votes,  then  no  new  choice  shall 
take  place. 

12.  No  preacher  shall  stay  among  us  who  is  not  in  unison  with 
our  adopted  rules,  and  order  of  things,  and  class-meetings,  and  who 
-does  not  diligently  observe  them. 


94  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

13.  No  preacher  can  stay  among  us  who  teacheth  the  doctrine 
of  predestination  [Gnademvahl'],  or  the  impossibility  of  falling  from 
grace,  and  who  holdeth  them  as  doctrinal  points. 

14.  No  preacher  can  stay  among  us  who  will  not  to  the  best 
of  his  ability  care  for  the  various  churches  in  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  and  Virginia,  which  churches,  under  the  superintendence 
of  William  Otterbein,  stand  in  fraternal  unity  with  us. 

15.  No  preacher  can  stay  among  us  who  shall  refuse  to  sustain, 
with  all  diligence,  such  members  as  have  arisen  from  this  or  some 
other  churches,  or  who  may  yet  arise,  as  helpers  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  as  preachers  and  exhorters,  and  to  afford  unto  them  all  possible 
encouragement,  so  long  as  their  lives  shall  be  according  to  the  gospel. 

16.  All  the  preceding  items  shall  be  presented  to  the  preacher 
chosen,  and  his  full  consent  thereto  obtained,  before  he  enters  upon 
his  ministry. 

17.  The  preacher  shall  nominate  the  elders  from  among  the 
members  who  attend  the  special  meetings,  and  no  others  shall  be 
proposed ;  and  their  duties  shall  be  made  know^n  unto  them,  by  him, 
before  the  church. 

18.  The  elders,  so  long  as  they  live  in  accordance  with  the 
gospel  and  shall  not  attempt  to  introduce  any  new  act  contrary 
to  this  constitution  and  these  ordinances,  are  not  to  be  dismissed 
from  their  office,  except  on  account  of  debility,  or  other  cause. 
Should  an  elder  wish  to  retire,  then  in  that  case,  or  in  case  of  re- 
moval by  death,  the  place  shall  be  supplied  by  the  preacher,  a^ 
already  provided. 

19.  The  three  trustees  are  to  be  chosen  yearly,  on  New-year's 
day,  as  follows :  The  vestry  will  propose  six  from  among  the  mem- 
bers who  partake  with  us  of  the  holy  sacrament.  Each  voter  shall 
write  the  names  of  the  three  he  desires  as  trustees,  on  a  piece  of 
paper,  and  when  the  church  has  met,  these  papers  shall  be  collected, 
opened,  and  read,  and  such  as  have  a  majority  of  votes  shall  be 
announced  to  the  church,  and  their  duties  made  known  unto  them, 
by  the  preacher,  in  the  presence  of  the  church. 

20.  The  almoner  shall  be  chosen  at  the  same  time  and  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  trustees,  and  at  the  next  election  will  present 
his  account. 

21.  The  preacher,  elders,  and  trustees  shall  attend  to  all  the  affairs 
Of  the  church,  compose  the  church  vestry,  and  shall  be  so  con- 
sidered. 

22.  All  deeds,  leases,  and  other  rights  concerning  the  property 
of  this  church,  shall  be  conveyed,  in  the  best  and  safest  manner,  to 
this  church  vestry,  and  their  successors,  as  trustees  of  this  church. 

23.  Should  a  preacher,  elder,  or  trustee  be  accused  of  any  known 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  95 

immorality,  and  upon  the  testimony  of  two  or  three  credible  wit- 
nesses the  same  should  be  proven  against  him,  he  shall  be  immedi- 
ately suspended ;  and,  until  he  gives  sure  proof  of  true  repentance, 
and  makes  open  confession,  he  shall  remain  excluded  from  this 
church.  The  same  rule  shall  be  observed  and  carried  out  in  relation 
to  members  of  the  church  who  shall  be  found  guilty  of  immoral 
conduct.     (I.  Cor.  5  :  11-13;  I.  Tim.  5  :  20;  Tit.  3  :  10.) 

24.  All  offenses  between  members  shall  be  dealt  with  in  strict 
conformity  with  the  precepts  of  our  Lord.  (Matt.  18:  15-18.)  No 
one  is,  therefore,  permitted  to  name  the  offender,  or  tlie  offense, 
except  in  the  order  prescribed  by  our  Saviour. 

25.  No  member  is  allowed  to  cite  his  brother  before  the  civil 
authority,  for  any  cause.  All  differences  shall  be  laid  before  the 
vestry,  or  each  party  may  choose  a  referee  from  among  the  members 
of  the  church,  to  whom  the  adjustment  of  the  matter  shall  be 
submitted.  The  decision  of  either  the  vestry  or  referees  shall  be 
binding  on  each  party ;  nevertheless,  should  any  one  believe  himself 
wronged,  he  may  ask  a  second  hearing,  which  shall  not  be  refused. 
The  second  hearing  may  be  either  before  the  same  men,  or  some 
others  of  the  church;  but  whosoever  shall  refuse  to  abide  by  this 
second  verdict,  or,  on  any  occasion,  speak  of  the  matter  of  dispute, 
or  accuse  his  opponent  with  the  same,  excludes  himself  from  the 
church. 

26.  The  elders  and  trustees  shall  meet  four  times  in  the  year; 
namely,  the  last  Sabbath  in  March,  the  last  Sabbath  in  June,  the 
last  Sabbath  in  September,  and  the  last  Sabbath  in  December,  in 
the  parsonage-house,  after  the  afternoon  service,  to  take  the  affairs 
of  the  church  into  consideration. 

27.  This  constitution  and  these  ordinances  shall  be  read  every 
New-year's  day,  before  the  congregation,  in  order  to  keep  the  same 
in  special  remembrance,  and  that  they  may  be  carefully  observed, 
and  no  one  plead  ignorance  of  the  same. 

28.  We,  the  subscribers,  acknowledge  the  above-written  items 
and  particulars  as  the  groundwork  of  our  church,  and  we  ourselves, 
as  co-members,  by  our  signatures,  recognize  and  solemnly  promise 
religious  obedience  to  the  same. 

WILLIAM  OTTERBEIN,  Preacher. 

Lehard  Herbach  [Leonard  Harbaugh],^ 
Henry  Weitner  [Weidner],  \  Elders. 

Peter  Hoffman, 

Philip  Bier, 

William  Baker,  \  Trustees. 

Abraham  Lorsh  [Larsh] 

Baltimore,  January  1,  1785. 


,} 


96  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

This  document,  embracing  first  a  statement  of  the  origin 
of  this  church,  then  a  constitution,  with  a  series  of  dis- 
cipHnary  rules,  acquires  now,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than 
a  century,  a  peculiar  historical  interest  and  value.  It 
shows  most  manifestly  that  this  church,  beginning  to  take 
separate  form  in  1771,  more  definitely  in  1774,  and  fully 
organized  in  1785  by  the  adoption  and  formal  promulga- 
tion of  the  rules  which  it  had  observed  during  this 
time,  was,  without  possible  ground  for  controversy,  an 
independent  and  distinct  body,  having  no  connection, 
ecclesiastically  or  otherwise,  with  the  German  Eeformed 
Church  from  which  it  sprang — neither  with  the  local 
Reformed  congregation  in  Baltimore,  nor  with  the  German 
Reformed  Church  as  a  denomination,  nor  with  the  ccetus 
representing  the  denomination.  And  it  shows  as  clearly, 
by  its  recognition  of  other  local  churches  in  Pennsylvania, 
Maryland,  and  Virginia,  over  which  Mr.  Otterbein  exercised 
a  superintending  care,  that  the  church  for  which  it  was 
framed  was  the  initial  church  of  that  already  associated 
bod}^  of  churches  which  in  time,  with  other  congregations 
similarly  independent,  came  to  be  known  as  the  Church 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

In  summarizing  the  following  points  respecting  this 
document,  the  outline  and  thought  of  Mr.  Lawrence  in 
his  History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  are  mainly 
followed,  as  Mr.  Lawrence  himself  followed  the  more 
condensed  statement  of  Mr.  Spayth. 

1.  The  church  on  Howard's  Hill  was  "brought  to- 
gether by  the  ministrations  of  William  Otterbein."  Before 
Mr.  Otterbein  came  to  Baltimore  a  division  had  already 
for  some  time  existed,  a  portion  of  the  members  of  the 
German  Reformed  church  withdrawing  because  they  could 
no  longer  endure  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Faber  and  his 
successor,    Mr.    Wallauer.     These    withdrawing    members 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  97 

had  meantime  been  served  by  Mr.  Schwope,  but  had  not 
been  definitely  organized  into  a  church.  In  May,  1774, 
Mr.  Otterbein,  on  his  arrival  in  Baltimore,  "without 
delay,  and  by  the  help  of  God,  began  to  organize  a 
church." 

2.  The  name  given  to  this  church  was  not  German 
Reformed,  but  Evangelical  Reformed,  the  purpose  being 
to  express  its  independent  relation,  and  at  the  same  time 
also  to  emphasize  its  distinctive  character  for  a  more 
pronounced  spirituality — the  ground,  in  fact,  of  its  as- 
suming an  independent  position.  The  church  did  not 
by  this  step  cease  to  be  a  Reformed  church.  Its  pastor 
did  not  withdraw  from  the  coetus,  nor  did  the  coetus 
disfellowship  him.  Its  position  was  that  of  an  independent 
Reformed  church.  And  this  attitude  of  independence  it 
retained  in  part  after  entering  into  relationship  with  the 
United  Brethren  Church. 

3.  A  Christian  experience  and  a  godly  life  are  insisted 
upon  as  requisites  of  membership,  and  provision  is  made 
for  the  expulsion  of  such  as  cease  to  strive  after  holiness, 
or  lead  ungodly  lives,  conditions  then  rarely  insisted  upon 
in  the  German  Reformed  Church. 

4.  Distinct  provision  is  made  for  holding  class-meetings^ 
with  the  manner,  object,  and  duty  set  forth,  a  form  of 
service  then  unknown  in  the  German  Reformed  Church. 
So  strongly  was  the  class-meeting  emphasized  that  it  was 
ordained  that  no  preacher  unfavorable  to  it  should  serve 
them  as  a  pastor. 

5.  Not  only  secret,  but  family,  prayer  was  enjoined 
as  obligatory  upon  the  members,  a  duty  certainly  not 
widely  recognized  in  the  German  Reformed  churches  in 
America  at  that  time.  Family  prayer  was  often  scoffed 
at  as  folly,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see.^ 

» See  p.  108. 

7 


98  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

6.  Keeping  worldly  and  sinful  company,  and  foolish 
talking  and  jesting,  were  made  grounds  for  severe  censure, 
thus  seeking  to  elevate  to  a  high  position  the  standard 
of  personal  conduct. 

7.  The  peculiar  doctrines  of  Calvinistic  theology  were 
not  to  be  introduced  or  preached  in  the  church,  or  held 
by  any  of  its  ministers.  "No  preacher  can  stay  among 
us  who  teacheth  the  doctrine  of  predestination,  or  the 
impossibility  of  falling  from  grace,  and  who  holdeth  them 
as  doctrinal  points." 

This  is  a  very  strong  position.  We  have  already  seen 
that  at  Herborn,  and  generally  among  German  divines, 
there  was  a  tendency  toward  relaxation  in  regard  to  the 
severer  tenets  of  Calvinism.^  Nevertheless,  their  place  in 
the  Heidelberg  Catechism  remained  fixed — "in  the  back- 
ground," it  is  true,  as  Dr.  Lewis  Mayer  expresses  it  in 
He  Pasa  Ekklesia,  but  still  unchallenged.  After  remarking 
that  "the  doctrinal  system  of  the  German  Reformed  Church 
is  contained  in  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,"  that  "the  cate- 
chism, in  its  general  character,  is  Calvinistic,"  and  that 
"the  Heidelberg  Catechism  is  the  only  symbolical  book 
of  the  church  in  the  United  States,"  Dr.  Mayer  continues 
that  "subscription  to  the  catechism  by  candidates  for  the 
ministry  is  not  required  at  their  ordination,  a  verbal  pro- 
fession of  the  doctrine  of  the  church  being  deemed  suffi- 
cient."^ But  here  in  this  thirteenth  article  of  the  "Church 
Book"  is  a  direct  and  positive  contravention  of  these  doc- 
trinal features  of  the  catechism.  No  man  who  either 
teaches  or  holds  them  can  stay  in  the  church.  Mr. 
Otterbein,  though  brought  up  in  a  church,  and  educated 
in  a  school,  which  held  and  taught  the  Calvinistic  the- 
ology,— in  its  milder  forms,  it  is  true,  as  just  indi- 
cated,— had  become  Arminian  in  his  faith,  and  engrafted 

1  See  p.  27.  »  He  Pasa  Bkklesia,  pp.  343,  344,  345. 


THE  O  TTERBEIN  CHUB  CH  IN  BAL  TIMOBE  99 

his  theological  beliefs  into  the  "Church  Book"  of  his 
congregation.  If  the  setting  aside  of  important  features 
of  a  creed,  and  the  adoption  of  tenets  of  a  directly  oppo- 
site character,  can  be  understood  as  so  far  changing  a 
church  as  to  make  it  something  different  from  itself,  that 
is,  another  church,  then  surely  the  adoption  ah  initio  of 
tenets  different  from,  and  opposed  to,  those  held  by  the 
parent  church,  must  constitute  Mr.  Otterbein's  church  an 
organization  separate  and  distinct  from  the  German 
Reformed   Church. 

8.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  "Church  Book"  of  Mr. 
Otterbein's  church  is  utterly  silent  as  to  even  the  existence 
of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism.  One  could  not  infer  from 
anything  it  contains  that  such  a  symbol  is  known  or 
recognized  among  Christian  denominations.  Nor  does  it 
mention,  or  in  any  way  recognize,  the  Coetus  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, nor  the  Synod  of  Holland,  nor  the  German  Eeformed 
Church  as  a  denomination.  Mr.  Otterbein,  who  drew  up 
this  declaration,  and  the  men  who  signed  it,  had  no  thought 
of  any  relation  to,  or  connection  with,  the  Heidelberg 
Catechism,  the  coetus,  or  the  German  Reformed  Church. 
They  clearly  meant  unqualified  separation  and  independ- 
ence. 

In  contrast  with  this  may  be  placed  the  expression  of 
the  old  Reformed  church  in  Baltimore,  adopted  several 
years  after  Mr.  Otterbein  began  his  work  there,  stimulated 
apparently  by  the  example  in  his  church  of  requiring  a 
godly  and  pious  life  as  a  condition  of  membership.  The 
substance  of  this  expression  is  quoted  by  Mr.  Lawrence* 
from  a  centenary  sermon  preached  by  Rev.  Elias  Heiner, 
as  follows : 

"All  the  members  of  the  congregation  shall  regularly 
attend   divine   worship   on   the    Sabbath ;    and,    with    the 

*  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  I.,  p.  251. 


100  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

exception  of  poor  persons,  shall  contribute  to  the  support 
of  the  pastor  and  the  congregation.  All  contentious  per- 
sons shall  not  be  regarded  as  church  members.  Those 
who  fall  into  open  sin  shall  be  put  away,  and  shall  not 
be  restored  until  they  show  sincere  repentance  and  amend- 
ment of  life,  and  declare  their  willingness  to  submit  to 
the  discipline  of  the  church.  Difficulties  in  the  congrega- 
tion that  cannot  be  adjusted,  shall  be  referred  to  the 
synod.  No  foreign  minister  can  preach  in  our  church 
without  the  consent  of  the  pastor  and  consistory,  and  he 
must  acknowledge  the  Reformed  confessions  of  Switzer- 
land and  Holland.  ...  In  catechetical  instruction,  the 
Heidelberg  Catechism  only  shall  be  used." 

Nothing  could  be  more  decided  than  the  contrast  be- 
tween this  expression  and  that  of  the  "Church  Book"  of 
Mr.  Otterbein's  church.  Here  is  a  distinct  recognition 
of  the  German  Reformed  Church  and  the  Heidelberg 
Catechism,  and  the  declarations  of  the  Reformed  Church 
in  Holland  and  Switzerland,  and  a  positive  requirement 
that  everything  must  be  in  conformity  with  their  order. 

9.  But  to  set  the  position  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  church 
in  a  still  stronger  light,  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  arti- 
cles of  the  "Church  Book"  contain  a  distinct  and  decisive 
recognition  of  "various  churches  in  Pennsylvania,  ^lary- 
land,  and  Virginia."  These  churches,  the  fourteenth  article 
says,  are  "under  the  superintendence  of  William  Otterbein," 
and  "stand  in  fraternal  unity  with  us,"  and  it  imposes 
an  absolute  obligation  on  the  ministers  of  the  Otter- 
bein Church  to  recognize  these  churches.  The  fifteenth 
article  declares  that  "no  preacher  can  stay  among  us 
who  shall  refuse  to  sustain,  with  all  diligence,  such 
members  as  have  arisen  from  this  or  some  other 
churches,  or  who  may  yet  arise,  as  helpers  in  the  work 
of   the    Lord,  as  preachers  and   exhorters,   and   to  afford 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  101 

unto  them  all  possible  encouragement,  so  long  as  their 
lives  shall  be  according  to  the  gospel." 

Let  not  any  one  think  of  laying  such  an  obligation 
upon  a  German  Reformed  church,  or  of  requiring  min- 
isters of  the  Reformed  Church  to  recognize  churches 
irregularly  organized,  repudiating  the  catechism,  and  hav- 
ing uneducated  and  unordained  ministers,  or  to  accord 
to  such  a  ministry  an  unqualified  fellowship.  The  thought 
of  it  is  preposterous,  and  the  suggestion  could  have  been 
only  offensive. 

That  ministers  rejecting  the  doctrine  of  "absolute 
reprobation"  were  in  some  cases  denied  permission  to 
preach  in  German  Reformed  churches,  is  attested  by  a 
statement  in  point  by  Mr.  Harbaugh.  In  the  year  1742 
the  pious  and  distinguished  Count  Zinzendorf,  when  on 
a  visit  to  Philadelphia,  desired  to  preach  in  a  church 
owned  conjointly  by  the  Reformed  and  Lutheran  churches. 
Applying  to  Rev.  John  Philip  Boehm,  the  Reformed 
pastor,  for  permission,  he  stated  frankly  and  in  most 
courteous  language  his  attitude  with  respect  to  that 
doctrine.  Permission  was  politely  but  unhesitatingly 
denied.  ^ 

The  churches  referred  to  in  articles  13  and  14,  in 
Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia,  were  such  societies 
as  were  formed  of  men  and  women  converted  under  the 
preaching  of  Mr.  Otterbein  at  various  points  visited  by 
him  from  time  to  time,  under  the  preaching  of  Mr.  Boehm 

»  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  279-281.  The  following  is  a  por- 
tion of  the  correspondence,  as  quoted  by  Harbaugh:  Zinzendorf  to  Boehm: 
"But  because  I  know  that  you  preach  in  the  same  church,  and  I  am  not 
inclined  to  the  doctrine  of  an  absolute  reprobation,  as  a  doctrine  which,  in  my 
religion,  is  confessedly  held  as  wholly  and  fundamentally  erroneous,  I  have 
thought  it  proper  to  enquire  of  you  whether  you  have  a  right  to  present 
aught  against  my  preaching  there,  since  I  do  not  wish  to  burden  any  one, 
or  interfere  with  his  rights."  Mr.  Boehm's  answer:  "1  will  be  understood  as 
protesting,  if  any  one  should  say  that  permission  was  given  from  the  Reformed 
side,  or  from  me,  to  Count  Zinzendorf,  to  preach  at  the  time  and  place 
belonging  to  us,  the  Reformed." 


102  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

among  his  own  people,  the  Mennonites,  and  under  the 
ministrations  of  Guething,  Newcomer,  and  others,  converts 
to  an  evangehcal  faith  and  experience,  who  had  them- 
selves become  men  of  marked  power  in  the  gospel.  Most 
of  these  men  were  unordained  by  the  laying  on  of  human 
hands,  but  the  touch  of  a  mightier  Hand  was  upon  their 
hearts.  Some  of  them  were  excommunicated  from  the 
fellowship  of  those  who  before  had  called  them  brethren. 
The  greater  number  were  uneducated,  but,  like  the 
fishermen  and  tax-gatherers  of  Galilee,  they  kept  close 
company  with  the  ^Master,  and  acquired  a  living  theol- 
ogy then  less  emphasized  in  the  cold  formalism  of  the 
churches  than  at  the  present  time.  They  were  plain 
men  from  the  fields,  with  slight  knowledge  of  the  rules 
of  rhetoric  or  cultured  speech,  but  God  gave  them  power 
to  reach  men's  hearts,  and  everywhere  the  common  people 
heard  them  gladly,  and  many  under  their  preaching  were 
gathered  into  the  Master's  fold.  They  kept  also  closely 
in  touch  with  their  eminent  leader,  the  pastor  of  the 
Evangelical  Reformed  Church  in  Baltimore.  He  exercised 
over  them  a  general  pastoral  care,  fulfilling  even  then, 
though  without  the  name,  the  highest  office  of  a  bishop, 
that  of  a  general  oversight  of  the  flock  of  God.  This 
relationship  the  church  in  Baltimore  recognized,  and  de- 
clared that  no  minister  could  remain  among  them  who 
would  refuse  to  extend  to  the  "preachers  and  exhorters" 
among  these  churches  "all  possible  encouragement."  Thus 
under  the  directing  ,hand  of  God,  and  through  the  ministry 
largely  of  lay  ministers,  were  gathered  together  into 
numerous  congregations,  but  into  a  common  fellowship, 
those  who  in  the  several  churches  sought  after  a  thorough 
and  conscious  conversion  and  a  truly  spiritual  life.  To 
them  were  added  many  by  conversion  who  had  not 
previously    held    connection    with    any    of    the    existing 


THE  OTTERBEIN  CHURCH  IN  BALTIMORE  103 

denominations.  And  these  were  the  people  who,  after 
the  lapse  of  further  time,  joined  themselves  together 
under  a  common  church  bond  as  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ. 

II.      MR.    OTTERBEIN's    RULES    ACCEPTED    BY    THE    CHURCHES. 

The  "Church  Book,"  embodying  a  constitution  and 
disciplinary  rules,  was  prepared  for  the  congregation  in 
Baltimore  alone.  But  its  thoroughly  biblical  and  prac- 
tical character  commended  it  to  the  favor  of  other  con- 
gregations also.  Hence  we  find  Mr.  Spayth  remarking : 
"From  the  second  paragraph  to  the  sixth,  including  the 
letter  (^),  we  have  presented  to  us,  in  a  concise  and  scrip- 
tural form,  all  that  is  most  essential  in  constituting  a 
church,  and  the  rules  which  should  govern  the  same, 
individually  and  collectively.  As  such  they  were  accept- 
able to  all  the  churches,  from  and  after  the  first  confer- 
ence, held  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  in  1789,  up  to  the 
time  of  the  General  Conference  in  1815,  when  they  entered, 
with  little  variation,  under  their  appropriate  sections  into 
our  present  Discipline."^ 

The  following  fitting  and  comprehensive  paragraph  is 
quoted  from  Mr.  Spayth :  "We  like  the  spirit  which 
pervades  that  document  throughout.  Being  written  in 
sententious  style,  it  must  be  read  with  care.  In  the  orig- 
inal, it  is  one  of  the  most  compact,  and  at  the  same  time 
one  of  the  most  comprehensive,  productions  of  the  pen. 
Take  it  as  a  whole,  and  in  view  of  the  time  and  the  pre- 
vailing prejudices,  it  bears  the  impress  of  a  master  mind, 
and  does  honor  to  the  author.  The  purity  of  the  ministry  ; 
the  piety  of  members  ;  the  necessity  of  attending  faithfully 
on  the  means  of  grace,  in  public  and  in  private ;  the 
propriety    of   class-    and    prayer-meetings ;    the    sacredness 

^  Spayth 's  History,  p.  56. 


104  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  the  Sabbath,  and  how  it  should  be  spent ;  the  doctrine 
of  the  church  ;  that  preachers  must  harmonize  and  sus- 
tain each  other  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  to  the  best  of 
their  abihty :  these  points  enter  essentially  into  the  ele- 
mentary rules  of  a  Christian  church,  and  upon  the 
observance  of  them  rest  the  usefulness  and  perpetuity  of 
churches.  As  to  the  age  of  the  Discipline  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church  in  Christ,  it  is  of  little  importance 
whether  it  be  of  yesterday  or  a  century  past ;  but  it  is 
all-important  that  it  be  of  the  right  character,  and  in 
the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  Scriptures."  The  paragraph 
closes  with  the  significant  and  true  w^ords,  ^'In  whatever 
light  our  present  Discipline  may  be  viewed,  and  however 
favorably  adjudged  by  an  intelligent  community,  we  find 
its  original  traced  out  by  William  Otterbein  as  early  as 
1785."! 

» Spay th's  History,  p.  57. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  CHURCH 
ORGANIZATION 

I.       THE   NECESSITY    OF    A    NEW    MOVEMENT. 

The  enlightened  Christian  thought  of  the  present  time, 
a  period  in  which  the  spirit  of  fraternal  union  is  so  widely 
cherished  between  the  people  of   different  denominations, 
regards  with   disfavor   any    movement   looking    toward    a 
new  religious  denomination.      Yet  there  have  been  times 
when    Divine   Providence  manifestly  led  the  way  toward 
such   a   result,   and   when   the   blessing    of   God    followed 
signally  those  who  for  the  sake  of  a  better  religious  life 
broke  away  from  ecclesiastical  relations  which  fixed  upon 
them  a  hopeless  spiritual  bondage,  and  hindered,  or  with 
threats    of    penalties    forbade,   the    exercise   of    the   freer 
spiritual  activities.     Without  such  a  movement  the  Refor- 
mation would  have  been  impossible,  and  the  greater  part 
of  Christendom  must   have  remained   permanently  under 
the  control  of  a  centralized  and  all-powerful  spiritual  mon- 
archy.    Our  divine  Lord   himself  originated  a  movement 
which  gradually  took  men  out  of  their  old  relations  in 
a  long   and  indeed  divinely  established  church,  and    led 
to  the  formation  of  a  new  and  freer  church  which  remains 
to  the  present  time.     Church  history  abounds  with  illus- 
trations  of    godly    men   seeking   again    the    blessings   of 
spiritual  freedom  under  new  and  independent  conditions. 
When  true  spiritual  life  is  repressed,  and  dead  formalities, 
associated  often  even  with  gross  immoralities  in  low  and 
high  places,  hold  sway  in   the  church,  and    when   those 

105 


106  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

who  seek  to  lead  godly  lives  are  mocked  and  scoffed 
at  and  even  persecuted  by  their  unspiritual  associates  in 
the  church,  separation  sometimes  becomes  a  necessity. 

Of  Mr.  Otterbein  it  has  already  been  remarked  that  he 
was  reluctant  to  take  any  steps  looking  toward  the  organ- 
ization of  a  separate  denomination.  He  was  warmly 
attached  to  the  church  of  his  ancestors,  the  church  of 
his  devout  and  greatly  beloved  mother,  in  which  his 
father  and  all  his  brothers  were  honored  ministers,  and 
in  which  he  received  his  education  and  Christian  train- 
ing. Conservative  in  disposition,  he  could  not  easily  break 
away  from  traditions  which  he  associated  with  the  most 
sacred  things  of  life.  And,  in  fact,  he  never  did  formally 
separate  himself,  nor  was  he  ever  separated  by  any 
act  of  the  synod,  from  his  place  in  the  German  Reformed 
Church.  His  name  was  retained  on  the  ministerial  roll 
of  that  body  up  to  the  end  of  his  life,  and  until  within 
seven  years  of  the  end  he  continued  to  attend  occa- 
sionally its  annual  sessions.  In  1806,  however,  the  last 
time  he  was  present  at  a  session,  he  did  not  attend 
until  he  was  sent  for,  and  then  remained  but  a  short 
time.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  had  devoted 
unsparingly  the  best  energies  of  mind  and  heart  to  the 
service  of  the  Reformed  Church,  seeking  in  every  place 
where  he  held  pastoral  relations,  and  in  many  more  which 
from  time  to  time  he  visited,  to  lead  the  people  into  a 
nearer  relationship  to  Christ,  and  kindle  the  fires  of  a 
more  fervent  religious  life.  And  in  all  this  much  success 
attended  his  labors.  At  Lancaster,  at  Tulpehocken,  at 
Frederick  City,  and  at  York  many  were,  through  his 
earnest  preaching  and  the  influence  of  his  pure  and  godly 
life,  brought  into  a  Christian  experience  to  which  tliey 
had  been  strangers  before.  And  then,  too,  he  found  men 
in  the  ministry  of  the  Reformed  Church  who  fully  sym- 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  107 

pathized  with  him  and  his  work,  some  of  whom  cooperated 
with  him  gladly  in  his  spiritual  work,  but  remained  in 
their  places  in  the  church.  Of  some  of  these  something 
is  to  be  said  farther  on.  It  was  not  a  light  matter  to 
dissolve,  even  in  part,  relations  which  had  so  long  been 
dear  to  him,  and  which  now  so  strongly  bound  his  heart. 
Like  Mr.  Wesley,  who,  though  he  was  the  founder  and 
leader  of  that  great  movement  in  the  British  Islands  and 
in  America  which  bears  the  name  of  Methodism,  retained 
to  the  end  of  his  life  his  relationship  to  the  Church  of 
England,  Mr.  Otterbein  was  most  reluctant  to  separate 
himself  from  his  mother  church.  Mr.  Lawrence,  speak- 
ing of  this  feeling  on  his  part,  says:  "Although  he  had 
nothing  to  retract  or  recall  of  what  he  had  said  or  done, 
and  what  he  was  still  doing,  the  dissolving  of  those  rela- 
tions which,  next  to  God,  had  possessed  his  heart,  filled 
his  soul  with  sorrow  and  anguish,  at  times,  which  knew 
no  bounds  ;  tears  would  fill  his  eyes  and,  in  big  drops, 
run  down  his  cheeks ;  and  then  again,  as  if  he  would 
lay  hold  on  Heaven  for  an  answer,  he  would  exclaim, 
*  Oh,  how  can  I  give  thee  up  ! '  "  ^  It  has  been  well  said 
that  nothing  could  change  or  in  any  degree  embitter  his 
feelings  toward  his  ministerial  brethren  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  though  some  among  them  criticised  his  course 
with  a  severity  amounting  to  persecution. 

But  were  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the  churches  of 
that  time  of  such  a  character  as  to  justify  a  general 
movement  toward  separation?  Was  the  religious  vitality 
so  low,  was  the  outward  life  of  many  church  members 
so  far  from  that  which  becometh  Christ,  and  was  tliere 
among  unregenerate  and  ungodly  church  members  such 
a  spirit  of  persecution  toward  their  more  godly  neighbors, 
as  to   render   necessary   the   holding   of  separate   services 

*  Lawrence's  History,  p.  259. 


108  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  the  forming  of  separate  congregations?  In  answer 
to  these  questions,  so  far  as  it  describes  the  prevailing 
conditions  of  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
we  quote  testimony  which  no  one  will  hold  in  doubt,  the 
words  of  distinguished  writers  in  other  churches,  as  Dr. 
J.  W.  Nevin,  of  the  Reformed,  and  Dr.  Benjamin  Kurtz, 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Dr.  Nevin  was  one  of  the  strong  defenders  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism,  and  the 
polity  of  the  church.  He  could  not  approve  the  methods 
adopted  by  Mr.  Otterbein,  but  he  strongly  sets  forth  the 
type  of  the  church  life  which  prevailed  in  Mr.  Otterbein's 
time.  In  his  twenty-eighth  lecture  on  the  Heidelberg 
Catechism,  published  in  1842,  at  a  time  when  the  Re- 
formed Church  had  become  largely  emancipated  from  the 
earlier  spiritual  lethargy,  Dr.  Nevin  says :  "  To  be  con- 
firmed, and  then  to  take  the  sacrament  occasionally,  was 
counted  by  the  multitude  all  that  was  necessary  to  make 
one  a  good  Christian,  if  only  a  tolerable  decency  of  out- 
ward life  were  maintained  besides,  without  any  regard 
at  all  to  the  religion  of  the  heart.  True,  serious  piety 
was  indeed  often  treated  with  open  and  marked  scorn. 
In  the  bosom  of  the  church  itself  it  was  stigmatized 
as  Schwdrmerei,  Kopfhdngerei,  or  miserable,  driveling 
Methodism.  The  idea  of  the  new  birth  was  treated  as  a 
Pietistic  whimery.  Experimental  religion  in  all  its  forms 
was  eschewed  as  a  new-fangled  invention  of  cunning 
impostors,  brought  in  to  turn  the  heads  of  the  w^eak  and 
to  lead  captive  silly  women.  Prayer-meetings  w^ere  held 
to  be  a  spiritual  abomination.  Family  worship  was  a 
species  of  saintly  affectation,  barely  tolerable  in  the  case 
of  ministers  (though  many  of  them  gloried  in  having 
no  altar  in  their  houses),  but  absolutely  disgraceful  for 
common  Christians.     To  show  an  awakened   concern  on 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  109 

the  subject  of  religion,  a  disposition  to  call  on  God  in 
daily  secret  prayer,  was  to  incur  certain  reproach.  .  .  . 
The  picture,  it  must  be  acknowledged,  is  dark,  but  not 
more  so  than  the  truth  of  history  would  seem  to  require." 

No  one  not  of  the  Reformed  Church  would  dare  to 
WTite  such  an  arraignment  as  this,  lest  he  should  be 
guilty  of  a  grave  discourtesy  toward  the  people  of  another 
denomination.  But  Dr.  Nevin  had  a  right  to  speak  thus 
historically  of  his  own.  And  he  certainly  did  not  so 
write  with  any  thought  of  defending  those  who  were 
prominent  in  the  revival  movements  of  the  period  of 
which  he  speaks.  After  referring  to  the  losses  sustained 
by  the  Reformed  Church  through  individual  transfers  to 
other  denominations,  he  goes  on  to  speak  of  distinct  organ- 
izations which,  he  says,  "started  forth  originally  from  the 
Reformed  Church  itself,  and  have  since  acquired  very 
considerable  volume,  made  up  in  great  measure  of  German 
material,  though  not  all  gathered  from  the  Reformed 
connection.  Otterbein,  of  Baltimore,"  Dr.  Nevin  now  con- 
tinues specifically,  "at  a  comparatively  early  period 
(1789)  became  the  founder  of  one  of  these  organiza- 
tions. .  .  .  He  was  a  good  man,  who  seems  to  have 
been  driven  into  a  false  position  by  the  cold,  dead 
temper  that  he  found  generally  prevalent  in  the  regular 
church."  1 

In  full  agreement  with  this  representation  by  Dr. 
Nevin,  is  that  of  Dr.  Kurtz,  referring  to  the  early  portion 
of  the  present  century.  In  the  Lutheran  Observer  of 
January  12,  1855,  Dr.  Kurtz  says:  "Some  thirty-five 
years  ago  [1820],  when  God  in  his  mercy  sanctioned  our 
labors  with  a  glorious  outpouring  of  his  Spirit,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  our  ministry  granted  us  a  mighty  revival, 
the   opposition    of    the  world    and    the  devil  was   almost 

»  Quoted  by  Dr.  Drury  in  Life  of  Otterbein;  as  also  the  extract  following. 


110  THE  UNITED  BBETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

unparalleled.  A  revival  in  the  Lutheran  Church  was  a 
new  thing  in  that  day.  We  had  never  heard  of  but 
one,  and  that  was  in  Brother  Reek's  church,  in  Win- 
chester, Virginia.  He  can  testify  to  the  bitterness, 
malevolence,  and  awful  wickedness  that  characterized 
the  adversaries  of  such  divine  visitations,  in  those  days 
of  ignorance,  hardness  of  heart,  and  spiritual  blindness.'^ 
Dr.  B.  B.  Tyler,  in  his  history  of  the  Disciples  of  Christ, 
in  the  "American  Church  History  Series,"  after  some 
general  observations  on  ''the  moral  and  religious  life  of 
our  fathers  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  and  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  centuries,"  remarking  upon  the  low 
plane  to  which  religion  had  fallen,  proceeds  to  give  a 
view  of  the  religious  condition  of  the  colleges  of  that 
time.  The  picture  drawn  is  a  startling  one,  when  placed 
in  contrast  with  the  religious  state  of  our  colleges  at  the 
present  time.  "When  Theodore  Dwight,"  he  remarks,  "be- 
came president  of  Yale  College,  in  1795,  only  four  or  five 
students  were  members  of  the  church.  The  predominant 
thought  was  skeptical.  In  respect  to  the  Christian  faith, 
the  students  of  the  College  of  New  Jersey  (Princeton) 
were  not  superior  to  the  young  men  in  Yale.  The  College 
of  William  and  Mary  was  a  hot-bed  of  unbelief.  Transyl- 
vania University,  now  Kentucky  University,  founded  by 
Presbyterians,  was  in  the  hands  of  men  who  repudiated 
the  evangelical  faith.  At  Bowdoin  College,  at  one  time 
in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  only  one 
student  was  willing  to  be  known  as  a  Christian.  Bishop 
Meade  has  said  that  so  late  as  the  year  1810,  in  Virginia, 
he  expected  to  find  every  educated  young  man  whom  he 
met  a  skeptic,  if  not  an  avowed  unbeliever.  Chancellor 
Kent,  who  died  in  1847,  said  that  in  his  younger  days 
there  were  but  few  professional  men  who  were  not  un- 
believers.    Lyman    Beecher    [the   father  of  Henry   Ward 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  111 

Beecher],  in  his  autobiography,  says,  speaking  of  the 
early  years  of  this  century  and  the  closing  years  of  the 
last,  that  it  was  'the  day  of  the  Tom  Paine  school,  when 
boys  who  dressed  flax  in  the  barn  read  Tom  Paine  and 
believed  him.'  Mr.  Beecher  graduated  from  Yale  in  1797, 
and  he  tells  us  that  the  members  of  the  class  of  1796  were 
known  to  one  another  as  Voltaire,  Rousseau,  D'Alembert, 
etc.  About  this  time  also  wild  and  undefined  expectations 
were,  in  many  places  and  by  many  persons,  entertained 
of  a  new  order  of  things,  and  better,  about  to  be  ushered 
in.  The  Christian  religion,  it  was  thought,  would  soon 
be  thrown  to  one  side  as  obsolete.  ...  It  is  said  that 
in  the  year  1800  only  one  Congregational  church  in 
Boston  remained  loyal  to  the  old  faith.  When  the  Rev. 
Dr.  E.  D.  Griflin  became  pastor  of  the  Park  Street  church, 
in  1811,  the  current  of  thought  and  feeling  against 
orthodoxy  was  so  decided  and  intense  that  men  went  to 
hear  him  in  disguise.  They  could  not  endure  the  ridicule 
that  they  would  certainly  receive  from  their  acquaintances 
if  the  fact  became  known  that  they  had  given  attention 
to  a  sermon  delivered  by  an  evangelical  minister."^ 

These  glimpses  give  us  a  view  of  the  prevailing  religious 
condition  of  the  American  colleges,  and  of  one  of  the  chief 
American  cities  of  that  time,  outside  of  the  narrow  geo- 
graphical limitations  in  which  the  work  of  Mr.  Otterbein 
and  his  fellow-laborers  was  accomplished.  But  here  fol- 
lows a  view  that  had  probably  a  wide  application  to  the 
morality  of  the  colonies  and  of  the  States  after  the  Revo- 
lutionary War : 

"Unbelief  and  immoral  living  were  joined  hand  to 
hand.  Intemperance  prevailed  to  an  alarming  extent. 
To  become  stupidly  drunk  did  not  seriously  injure  a 
man's    reputation.     The    decanter    was    in    every    home. 

'  American  Church  History  Series,  Vol.  XII.,  pp.  2,  3. 


112  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Total  abstinence  had  hardly  been  thought  of.  Temper- 
ance sermons  were  not  preached  ;  the  pulpit  was  dumb 
on  this  evil.  Members  of  Christian  churches  in  regular 
standing  drank  to  intoxication.  The  highest  church  offi- 
cials often  indulged  immoderately  in  drink.  When  the 
physician  visited  a  patient  he  was  offered  a  stimulant. 
At  marriages,  at  births,  and  at  the  burial  of  the  dead 
drinking  was  indulged  in.  A  pastor  in  New  York  City, 
as  late  as  1820,  has  left  on  record  the  statement  that  it 
was  difficult  to  make  pastoral  visits  for  a  day  without 
becoming,  in  a  measure,  intoxicated.  Lyman  Beecher 
has  given  an  account  of  an  ordination  in  which  the  par- 
ticipating ministers  drank  until  they  were  in  a  state 
bordering  on  intoxication.  The  Rev.  Daniel  Dorchester, 
D.D.,  quotes  a  minister  of  this  period  as  saying  that  he 
could  reckon  up  among  his  acquaintances  forty  ministers 
who  were  either  drunkards  or  so  far  addicted  to  the  use 
of  strong  drink  that  their  usefulness  was  impaired."^ 

These  statements,  so  graphically  presented,  show  not 
only  a  most  unhappy  religious  condition  in  the  colleges 
and,  in  general,  among  the  people  not  connected  with  the 
churches,  but  also  within  the  sacred  circles  of  the  church. 
Especially  do  the  representations  of  Dr.  Nevin  and  Dr. 
Kurtz  illustrate  the  low  ebb  to  which  within  the  churches 
spiritual  life  had  fallen.  It  was  to  reform  these  conditions, 
to  raise  the  standard  of  a  truer  Christian  life,  to  bring 
men  back  to  a  living  faith  and  a  genuine  experience 
of  the  power  of  Christ  to  convert  and  save  the  soul,  that 
Mr.  Otterbein  and  those  associated  with  him  addressed 
themselves.  With  great  earnestness  and  unfaltering  pur- 
pose they  pressed  forward  their  work,  and  under  the 
attending  favor  of  God  achieved  most  blessed  success. 

^  Avierican  Church  History  Series,  Vol.  XII.,  pp.  3,  4. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  113 

II.      ASSOCIATES    IN   THE    WORK. 

1.     Martin  Boehm. 

Before  passing  on  to  speak  of  the  notable  initial  con- 
ference held  in  1789,  it  will  be  proper  here  to  say- 
something  further  of  some  of  the  associates  of  Mr.  Otter- 
bein  in  the  revival  work.  A  few  names  will  be  presented 
here. 

Mr.  Boehm  continued  to  preach,  as  he  had  now  done 
for  many  years,  the  gospel  of  a  true  spiritual  life  among 
his  people,  not  only  to  those  of  his  own  neighborhood,  but 
to  others  in  various  places.  It  was  to  be  expected  that 
his  zeal  would  in  time  awaken  serious  opposition,  but  it 
was  hardly  to  be  looked  for  that  a  man  of  such  manifest 
sincerity,  and  of  so  urbane  and  kindly  a  spirit,  should  by 
and  by  be  disfellowshiped  by  his  brethren.  Yet  such  was 
actually  the  case.  A  formal  indictment  was  at  last  made 
out  against  him,  and  he  was  cited  to  answer. 

Mr.  Boehm,  like  Mr.  Otterbein,  did  not  desire  to  sepa- 
rate himself  from  the  church  in  which  he  was  brought 
up,  and,  like  him,  was  not  moved  by  any  unholy  ambition 
to  lead  in  a  schismatic  movement.  It  is  greatly  to  the 
credit  of  the  founders  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  that 
they  did  not  desire  to  create  division  in  the  body  of  Christ. 
It  was  their  noble  ambition  to  elevate  the  standard  of 
spirituality  and  godly  living  in  the  churches  with  which 
they  were  connected.  In  this  they  were  in  good  degree 
successful,  and  the  earnestness  of  their  labors  and  the 
success  following  aroused  against  them  the  worldly  and 
unhallowed  spirit  which  to  so  unhappy  an  extent  pre- 
vailed in  the  churches  of  that  time.  It  was  this  spirit 
which,  arraying  itself  against  them,  procured  the  expulsion 
of  some  of  them  from  the  communions  in  which  they 
stood.     Among   these  was   Mr.   Boehm,  of  the  Mennonite 


114  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Church,  one  of  the  most  worthy  of  the  ministers  of  that 
denomination.  Jesus  said  to  the  apostles  that  they  should 
be  cast  out  of  the  synagogues,  and  precisely  this  happened 
to  these  later  apostles  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  for  their 
fidelity  in  proclaiming  the  deeper  and  richer  significance 
of  the  precious  word  of  life. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Boehm 
this  step  was  taken  with  sincere  regret,  and  after  much 
forbearance,  as  his  brethren  in  the  Mennonite  ministry 
understood  forbearance.  In  a  small  volume  published  so 
recently  as  1875,^  is  contained  at  length  the  history  of 
the  proceedings  against  Mr.  Boehm.  The  history  is  a 
translation  of  a  very  old  document,  written  more  than 
a  century  ago.  By  some  singular  providence  this  vener- 
able paper  is  preserved,  and  here  is  a  rendering  of  it 
into  English,  made  by  Rev.  John  F.  Funk,  the  author 
of  the  volume. 

The  case  against  Mr.  Boehm  is  set  forth  quite  elabo- 
rately, the  paper  itself  being  a  communication  sent  out 
to  churches  generally  "by  the  ministers  of  the  Mennonite 
Church  of  Lancaster  County  and  vicinity."  It  is,  as  Mr. 
Funk  tells  us,  without  date,  but  certain  marks  about  it 
point  plainly  to  the  period  from  1775  to  1780,  and  this 
harmonizes  with  such  knowledge  as  is  left  to  us  from 
other  sources.  After  some  general  introductory  state- 
ments the  paper  proceeds  : 

"Now,  however,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  between  us 
and  Martin  Boehm  there  is,  in  many  points,  a  difference 
of  views,  and  we  have,  at  times,  for  several  years  already, 
labored  to  become  more  of  one  mind  and  to  understand 
each  other  better,  that  we  might  be  found  faithful  laborers 
in  the  church  of  Christ ;   which,  however,  has  not  yet  been 

1  The  Metinonite  Church  and  Har  Accusers,  bj'  Rev.  John  F.  Funk,  Elkhart, 
Indiana,  1878. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  115 

accomplished,  and  the  matter  has,  from  time  to  time, 
become  worse.  For  the  reason,  however,  that  the  brother- 
hood do  not  possess  as  good  a  knowledge  of  the  cause 
and  origin  of  this  disagreement  between  us,  which  con- 
sists of  'many  things  both  in  words  and  deeds,  as  we  do 
(although  many  also  are  not  entirely  unacquainted  with  it), 
we  have  thought  it  prudent  to  write  them  and  thus  explain 
the  matter.  In  the  first  place,  in  that  in  which  we  believe 
that  he  (Boehm)  erred  in  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he  had 
a  great  deal  to  do  with  forming  a  union  and  associating 
with  men  (professors)  who  allow  themselves  to  walk  on 
the  broad  way,  practicing  warfare  and  the  swearing  of 
oaths,  both  of  which  are  in  direct  opposition  to  the  truths 
of  the  gospel  and  the  teachings  of  Christ." 

The  other  leading  points  made  against  him,  which, 
with  the  above,  are  discussed  at  much  length,  and  finally 
recapitulated,  are  that  Mr.  Boehm  said  the  Scriptures 
might  be  burned,  because  they  were  a  dead  letter;  "that 
Satan  was  good  and  beneficial  to  man,"  "that  faith  cometh 
from  unbelief,  life  from  death,  and  light  out  of  darkness." 
It  is  very  evident  that  ^Ir.  Boehm's  brethren  heard  distorted 
reports  of  his  preaching,  and  that  the  accusations  are  quite 
akin  to  those  brought  against  our  Lord,  when  the  witnesses 
said  that  they  had  heard  him  say  that  he  would  destroy 
the  temple,  and  in  three  days  build  it  again.  The  funda- 
mental fact  was  that  as  the  preaching  of  Jesus  differed 
from  that  of  the  religious  teachers  of  his  time,  and  they 
excluded  him  for  that  reason  from  their  fellowship,  so  the 
earnest,  spiritual,  soul-kindling  preaching  of  Boehm  dif- 
fered from  that  of  his  brethren,  and  they  summoned  him 
to  answer.  To  the  requirement  that  he  desist  from  his 
course,  "he  said  he  could  not,  but  if  it  could  be  shown 
him  that  he  had  done  wrong,  he  would  recall."  The  vote 
for  his  expulsion  being  finally  taken  resulted  affirmatively, 


116  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  Mr.  Boehm  went  away  doubtless  with  thoughts  of 
the  apostles  when  "they  departed  from  the  presence  of  the 
council,  rejoicing  that  they  w^ere  counted  worthy  to  suffer 
shame  for  his  [Christ's]  name."^ 

Mr.  Funk  proceeds  to  state,  following  the  old  manuscript, 
that  Mr.  Boehm's  followers,  such  as  were  members  of  the 
Mennonite  Church,  were  also  "excluded  from  the  com- 
munion and  the  counsel  of  the  brotherhood,  until  in  true 
sorrow  and  penitence  they  should  return  and  acknowl- 
edge their  errors  both  to  God  and  to  the  church." 

Mr.  Boehm  was  a  burning  and  shining  light  whom 
God  called  to  a  special  mission  among  that  people,  and 
happy  had  it  been  for  them  if  they  had  received  the 
divine  message  from  his  lips.  He  took  his  expulsion  in 
good  part,  and  went  on  with  his  work  just  as  he  had 
done  before,  preaching  in  his  own  neighborhood  and  in 
numerous  other  places  which  he  had  previously  visited. 
His  moral  and  Christian  character  had  in  no  wise  been 
assailed,  nor  had  the  purity  of  his  motives  been  placed 
in  doubt.  And  now,  untrammeled  by  the  traditional 
environments  which  before  had  in  a  degree  circumscribed 
his  efforts,  he  was  indeed  more  free  to  preach  to  all  who 
would  hear,  and  the  blessing  of  God  rested  richly  upon 
his  word.  Not  long  afterward  he  left  the  care  of  his  farm 
to  his  son  and  gave  himself  entirely  to  the  work  of 
traveling  and  preaching. 

2.     George  Adam  Guething. 

Next  in  order  among  the  most  distinguished  co-laborers 
of  Mr.  Otterbein,  is  to  be  placed  the  name  of  George  Adam 
Guething,  his  own  son  in  the  gospel,  as  Timothy  was  of 
Paul,  a  man  of  fair  culture  though  simple  in  life,  "mighty 
in   the    Scriptures,   and   eloquent,"    as    was    Apollos,   the 

» Acts  5:  41. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  \n 

silver-tongued  in  that  company  of  ardent  reformers.  Mr. 
Guething  was  born  not  far  from  the  birthplace  of 
Mr.  Otterbein,  at  Nieder  Schelden,  in  Nassau-Siegen,  now 
a  part  of  the  province  of  Hesse-Nassau,  Prussia/  on  the 
sixth  of  February,  1741.  Like  Mr.  Otterbein,  he  was 
brought  up  in  the  Reformed  Church.  His  education 
was  fair,  including  some  knowledge  of  the  Latin  language, 
as  well  as  the  German,  and  he  labored  for  some  time  as 
a  miner.  He  came  to  America  in  his  eighteenth  year, 
landing,  it  is  thought,  at  Baltimore,  and  making,  soon 
afterward,  his  home  at  Antietam,  Washington  County, 
Maryland,  where  he  resided  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Here  for  a  considerable  time  he  spent  his  winters  in 
teaching  school,  and  the  rest  of  the  year  in  quarrying 
stone  and  digging  wells.  The  school-house  in  which  he 
taught  seems  to  have  been  that  located  on  the  farm  which 
became  widely  known,  as  still  at  the  present,  as  the 
Schnebley  (Suavely,  or  Snively)  homestead,  a  home  famous 
for  its  large  hospitality,  the  house  standing  near  by  the 
church  which  was  afterward  erected,  and  taking  from 
the  older  house  the  name  of  "school-house."  It  was 
afterward  known  also  as  Guething's  Meeting-house.  This 
place  was  visited  by  Mr.  Otterbein  as  early  as  1760, 
when  he  was  located  at  Frederick,  as  it  had  been  by 
other  Reformed  ministers  before  him,  and  we  cannot 
doubt  that  ^Ir.  Guething  received  through  Mr.  Otterbein's 
preaching  the  divine  impulse  which  brought  him  to  a 
true  conversion  and  bore  him  onward  in  his  noble 
Christian  career  through  life. 

Mr.  Guething  possessed  an  active  temperament,  and  was 
soon  seen  to  be  an  earnest  Christian  worker.  He  held 
also,  in  the  best  sense,  the  confidence  of  the  people  of 
the  community,  and  was  urged  by  them,  during  the  inter- 

*  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  149. 


118  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

vals  of  ministerial  visits,  to  read  to  the  congregation 
selected  printed  sermons  on  the  Sabbath.  Mr.  Otterbein 
continued  to  visit  this  place  after  his  removal  to  York, 
and  later  on  during  his  life.  The  gracious  fruits  following- 
Mr.  Guething's  work  being  observed  by  Mr.  Otterbein,  he 
directed  that  when  Mr.  Guething  arose  again  to  read  a  ser- 
mon some  one  should  take  the  book  out  of  his  hands  and 
leave  him  to  his  own  resources.  This  was  indeed  proposing 
a  heroic  measure,  but  it  was  actually  done.  When  Mr. 
Guething  arose  again  to  read,  after  having  conducted  the 
preliminary  service,  a  brother,  Mr.  Jacob  Hess,  stepped 
forward  and  literally  carried  out  Mr.  Otterbein's  instruc- 
tion. Mr.  Guething  was  startled  at  first,  but,  soon  recov- 
ering his  poise,  proceeded  to  deliver  a  most  impressive 
address.  His  position  as  a  minister  now  became  fixed, 
and  the  people  at  Antietam  and  elsewhere  heard  gladly 
the  words  of  life  from  his  lips.  He  was  ordained  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry  of  the  Reformed  Church,  by  the  lay- 
ing on  of  hands,  by  Mr.  Otterbein  and  Dr.  William 
Hendel,  on  Whitsuntide,  1783. 

Dr.  Drary,  in  his  Life  of  Otterbein,  speaks  thus  of  Mr. 
Guething  :  He  "  was  a  man  of  good  physical  constitution, 
and  capable  of  great  endurance.  .  .  .  He  w^as  possessed 
of  superior  gifts.  His  sympathies  were  ready  and  abun- 
dant. His  understanding  of  occasions,  and  faculty  of 
adaptation,  were  much  beyond  the  usual.  He  had  a 
voice  combining  sw^eetness  and  power.  His  method  and 
continued  attention  to  books  made  him  capable  of  great 
and  increasing  usefulness.  In  his  preaching  he  was 
earnest,  yet  deliberate.  His  addresses  to  the  conscience 
and  feelings  were  always  impressive,  and  sometimes 
strikingly  moving.  As  he  was  in  the  first  place,  and  in 
the  strictest  sense,  a  product  of  the  revival  movement, 
there  were  combined  in  him  its  strictest  moral  and  logical 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  W^ 

characteristics.  Otterbein  and  Boehm,  though  authors  in 
the  movement,  were  themselves  formed  by  earher  and  differ- 
ent influences.  The  distinctive  character  of  Mr.  Guething 
was  apparent  in  all  of  his  course,  from  first  to  last."  ^ 

Of  the  relations  between  Mr.  Otterbein  and  Mr.  Guething, 
Dr.  Drury  further  remarks :  "  In  very  important  respects 
he  exerted  a  decided  influence  upon  Mr.  Otterbein  ;  and 
on  some  subjects,  in  regard  to  which  Mr.  Otterbein  has 
given  us  no  expression,  Mr.  Guething  is  the  exponent  of 
his  thoughts.  No  field  of  labor  was  more  enjoyable  to 
Mr.  Otterbein  than  that  that  awaited  him  at  the  Antietam, 
and  in  no  counsels  or  associations  did  he  more  confide 
or  find  truer  pleasure  than  in  those  that  he  enjoyed  at 
George  A.  Guething's."  ^ 

The  small  log  church  spoken  of  as  built  upon  the 
Schnebley  farm,  afterward  known  as  the  Guething  Meeting- 
house, is  regarded  as  without  doubt  the  first  church 
erected  distinctively  for  the  followers  of  Mr.  Otterbein  in 
the  revival  movement.  The  date  of  its  erection  is  lost, 
but  it  is  believed  to  have  been  before  that  of  Mr.  Otterbein's 
arrival  at  Baltimore  in  1774.  The  earliest  band  formed 
here  embraced  the  names  of  Mr.  Guething,  Samuel  Baker, 
Henry  Smith,  and,  soon  afterward,  Jacob  Hess,  who  has 
just  been  mentioned.  Whether  all  in  this  company  of 
worshipers  were  of  German  Reformed  antecedents,  or  what 
relationship,  if  any,  they  assumed  to  the  Reformed  Church, 
is  not  now  known.  No  deed  was  made  for  the  ground 
upon  which  the  humble  church  was  built,  the  title  remain- 
ing vested  in  the  owner  of  the  farm.  The  congregation 
was  found  with  the  United  Brethren  Church  in  the  further 
developments  of  providence. 

We  find  that  Mr.  Guething  is  given  a  place  in  Mr.  Har- 
baugh's  "Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church."    Mr.  Harbaugh 

iPp.  151,  152.  «P.  152. 


120  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

says  that  he  "  was  prominently  identified  with  the  reHgious 
movement  which  resulted  in  the  sect  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren in  Christ,  with  which  he  fell  in  as  early  as  1772.  .  .  . 
His  name  appears  in  the  minutes  of  synod  up  to  the  year 
1804,  though  generally  among  the  absent  and  excused. 
At  the  meeting  of  synod  in  Keading,  April  29,  1804, 
complaints  were  preferred  against  Mr.  Guething  on  account 
of  disorderly  conduct.  .  .  .  After  a  lengthy  discussion," 
the  resolution  for  his  expulsion  was  carried  ''by  a  vote 
of  twenty  against  seventeen."  A  further  quotation  from 
the  minutes  adds,  "He  can,  however,  at  any  time  be 
restored,  on  giving  evidence  of  true  reformation."  Re- 
marking further,  Mr.  Harbaugh  says :  "  Highly  fanatical 
proceedings  on  his  part  seem  to  have  led  to  his  expulsion. 
He  continued  ministering  in  harmony  with  the  Brethren 
till  his  death.  .  .  .  He  spent  forty  years  in  the  ministry. 
Though  wildly  fanatical,  and  as  such  badly  suited  to  be 
a  leader  of  God's  people,  he  seems  to  have  been  person- 
ally a  good  man."^ 

This  account  of  Mr.  Guething's  fanaticism,  no  other 
charge  being  laid  against  him,  will  not  damage  his  mem- 
ory in  the  estimation  of  United  Brethren.  It  was  the 
kind  of  fanaticism  into  which  the  apostles  fell,  as  regarded 
from  the  standpoint  of  Pharisees  and  scribes,  the  fanat- 
icism which  has  characterized  many  of  the  foremost 
ministers  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  which  gave  to 
the  Methodist  Church  its  vast  distinctive  power  to  save 
souls,  which  distinguishes  in  strongest  contrast  the  real, 
living,  forward  movements  of  the  church  from  the  iner- 
tia of  spiritual  death,  but  a  fanaticism  nevertheless 
which  seemed  to  many  of  the  Reformed  ministers  of  that 
day,  and  to  Mr.  Harbaugh  as  well,  to  be  out  of  harmony 
with  the  requirements  of  proper  churchly  decorum.     And, 

» Vol.  II.,  p.  398. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  121 

further,  it  was  after  all  a  bare  majority  that  pronounced 
sentence  of  excommunication,  seventeen  of  the  members 
voting  against  the  unbrotherly  proceeding. 

Mr.  Harbaugh  mentions  a  Mr.  Becker  as  the  chief 
instigator  of  the  measure  of  expulsion.  He  was  the  same 
Becker  who,  two  years  later,  having  then  become  pastor 
in  Baltimore,  at  a  session  of  the  synod  of  1806,  dealt 
so  harshly  with  the  venerable  and  saintly  Otterbein, 
then  eighty  years  of  age,  and  for  his  last  time  in  attend- 
ance upon  the  synod,  and  shortly  afterward,  on  meeting 
him,  poured  out  upon  him  bitter  language,  ending  with 
a  threat  to  have  him  expelled  from  the  synod.  His  vile 
aspersions,  however,  failed  to  produce  any  effect  on  the 
minds  of  the  ministers  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Otterbein.  The 
greater  number  felt  honored  in  being  permitted  to  retain 
his  name  in  association  with  their  own,  and  Mr.  Harbaugh, 
while  speaking  frankly  of  what  he  conceives  to  have  been 
his  errors,  pays  him  distinguished  honor  in  his  extended 
memorial.  And  yet  Mr.  Otterbein's  and  Mr.  Guething's 
offense  was  the  same,  with  perhaps  the  difference  that 
Mr.  Otterbein,  schooled  under  a  more  exact  training  in 
his  early  life,  was  more  conservative  in  his  methods. 

Mr.  Spayth,  in  his  history  of  the  Church,  thus  places 
in  contrast  the  varying  talents  of  the  three  men  whose 
names  stand  foremost  in  early  United  Brethren  history  : 
"  The  talent  and  ministerial  graces  of  these  three  brethren- 
in-chief  .  .  .  cannot  now  be  well  conceived.  .  .  .  Otterbein 
was  argumentative,  eloquent,  and  often  terrible.  In  the 
elucidation  of  Scripture  he  was  very  clear  and  full,  few 
being  his  equal.  Boehm  was  the  plain,  open,  and  frank 
expounder  of  God's  Word,  being  all  animation,  all  life, 
often  irresistible,  hke  a  mighty  current,  carrying  his 
hearers  into  deep  water.  But  Brother  Guething  was  more 
like  a  spring  sun  rising  on  a  frost-silvered  forest,  gradually 


122  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

affording  more  heat,  more  light,  till  you  could  hear,  as 
it  were,  the  crackling  in  the  forest,  and  the  icy  crust 
beginning  to  melt  and  fall  away,  and  like  a  drizzling 
shower,  ending  in  a  clear  and  joyous  day.  Such  was 
Guething.  He  was  the  St.  John  of  this  clover-leaf ;  always 
soft  and  mellowing;  of  good  parts,  haying  a  well- 
cultivated  mind ;  in  conversation  cheerful,  interesting, 
and  pleasing ;  and  every  way  a  desirable  companion.  .  .  . 
His  bland  manners,  his  affability  and  shining  talents, 
secured  for  him  universal  respect  and  esteem,  good  con- 
gregations, and,  what  was  much  more  important,  access 
to  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  those  who  came  to  hear 
him."i 

Mr.  Guething  has  by  some  been  reckoned  among  the 
early  bishops  of  the  Church.  From  Mr.  Spayth  we  learn 
that  he  presided  at  the  session  of  an  annual  conference 
at  Antietam,  his  own  home,  on  May  12,  1812,  ^  Bishop 
Boehm  having  died  in  March  preceding,  and  Bishop 
Otterbein  being  too  feeble  from  age  to  attend,  but  there 
seems  to  be  no  record  of  his  having  been  at  any  time 
formally  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop.  Had  his  death 
not  occurred  so  soon  after,  just  six  weeks  later,  it  is 
altogether  probable  that  he  would  have  been  so  elected 
as  associate  with  Bishop  Newcomer  after  the  death  of 
Bishop  Otterbein.  Mr.  Spayth,  whose  time  was  in  part 
contemporary  with  these  fathers,  does  not  speak  of  him 
as  a  bishop. 

3.      Other  Helpers. 

Before  passing  to  other  names  which  became  per- 
manently identified  with  the  movement  which  resulted 
in  the  organization  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  it  is 
proper  here  to  introduce  those  of   some  devout  men  who 

iSpayth's  History,  p.  60.  ^  Ibid.,  p.  129. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  123 

retained  their  active  counectioii  with  the  Reformed  Church, 
but  gave  to  Mr.  Otterbein  their  most  cordial  sympathy, 
and  iu  some  features  of  his  work  entered  into  practical 
cooperation  with  him.  We  have  seen  that  at  the  session 
of  the  synod  at  which  Mr.  Guething's  name  was  erased 
from  the  records  the  members  were  so  far  from  unanimous 
that  the  minority  sustaining  him  almost  equaled  the 
majority  which  voted  for  the  exclusion,  and  also  that 
the  name  of  Mr.  Otterbein  was  retained  in  honored  relation 
to  the  end  of  his  life.  Indeed,  Mr.  Harbaugh  makes 
complete  claim  to  Mr.  Otterbein  for  the  Reformed  Church, 
and  represents  that  during  the  later  years  of  his  life  he 
lamented  having  given  his  influence  and  support  to  the 
movement  which  grew  into  a  separate  denomination.  We 
have  abundant  evidence  that,  so  far  from  this  being  the 
case,  he  rejoiced  over  the  results  of  his  labors  and  those 
of  his  brethren  with  him  in  encouraging  a  truer  appre- 
hension of  the  meaning  of  the  gospel  and  a  more  devout 
Christian  life.  But  it  is  a  sincere  pleasure  to  note  that 
w^hile  many  opposed  him,  some  even  to  the  extent  of 
bitterness  and  persecution,  sometimes  closing  the  doors 
of  their  churches  against  him,  there  was  a  considerable 
number  of  the  Reformed  ministers  who  recognized  the 
great  value  of  his  labors,  and  gladly  cooperated  wdth  him. 
Foremost  among  these  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  Hendel, 
a  man  of  fine  education  and  brilliant  pulpit  powers.  He 
came  to  America  in  1765,  well  advanced  in  years,  his 
first  charge  being  that  at  Lancaster,  where  Mr.  Otterbein 
began  his  work.  He  was  a  man  of  devout  spirit,  and 
appropriately  recognized  as  the  St.  John  among  the 
Reformed  ministers.  Between  him  and  Mr.  Otterbein  a 
warm  friendship  soon  sprang  up,  which  continued  during 
life.  His  high  standing  is  strongly  attested  by  the  history 
of  that  period,  and  no  less  so  his  earnest  sympathy  with 


124  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Mr.  Otterbein  in  his  particular  work.  He  adopted  in 
good  part  the  methods  of  Mr.  Otterbein,  as,  for  example, 
the  holding  of  regular  prayer-meetings  on  week-day 
evenings.  Another  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  warm  friends  was 
Rev.  Daniel  Wagner,  a  student  of  theology  under  Dr. 
Hendel.  Mr.  Wagner  was  pastor,  at  different  times,  of 
several  of  the  churches  which  Mr.  Otterbein  had  served, 
as  at  York,  Tulpehocken,  Frederick  City,  and  a  second 
time  at  York.  Between  Mr.  Wagner  and  Mr.  Otterbein 
a  lasting  friendship  was  formed,  and  a  regular  corre- 
spondence was  maintained  up  to  the  end  of  Mr.  Otterbein's 
life.  In  Mr.  Harbaugh's  "Fathers  of  the  Reformed 
Church,"  no  man  stands  with  a  fairer  record  than  Mr. 
Wagner.  Others  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  closer  associates,  all 
of  them  men  of  high  standing  in  the  coetus,  were  Rev. 
Anthony  Hautz,  also  a  pupil  under  Dr.  Hendel,  Rev. 
Frederick  L.  Hen  op,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Weimer.  Among 
these  was  also  the  Rev.  Benedict  Schwope,  through  whose 
influence  chiefly  Mr.  Otterbein  was  induced  to  become 
the  pastor  of  the  independent  church  in  Baltimore.  All 
these  men  were  fully  awake  to  the  peculiar  spiritual  needs 
of  the  time,  were  thoroughly  evangelical  in  spirit,  and 
accomplished  much  good  in  the  German  Reformed 
Church.  1 

We  are  here  to  note  a  special  form  of  religious  meetings 
in  which  these  ministers,  six  in  number,  including  Mr. 
Otterbein,  became  interested,  and  which  were  maintained 
with  much  spiritual  profit  for  a  few  years.  To  the  reader 
acquainted  with  what  was  known  as  Pietism  in  Germany 
the  resemblance  between  the  meetings  organized  by  these 
men  and  the  Pietistic  movement  of  the  old  country  will 
readily  occur.     The  movement   in   Germany,  wdiich  took 

'  See  biographical  sketches  in  Mr.  Harbaugh's  Fathers  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
Vol.  II. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  125 

its  rise  in  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  at 
Frankfort-on-the-Main,  under  the  leadership  of  Philip  Jacob 
Spener,  was  an  effort  to  reawaken  and  encourage  the 
growth  of  a  true  spiritual  life  in  the  dead  orthodox 
churches.  It  did  not  propose  the  organization  of  a  separate 
denomination  or  church,  but  sought  to  gather  together 
for  special  and  private  religious  services  those  who  desired 
the  experience  of  a  deeper  piety  and  the  attainment  of  a 
more  exemplary  outward  Christian  life.  It  was  but  natural 
that  the  movement  should  meet  with  opposition  on  the 
part  of  the  unconverted  and  worldly-minded  who  con- 
stituted the  great  body  of  the  German  churches.  It  was 
also  doubtless  true  that  the  Pietists  fell  into  excesses, 
such  as  must  bring  inevitable  reproach  upon  those  engaged 
in  the  movement.  But  the  movement  nevertheless  accom- 
plished great  good  in  Germany.  Many  who  had  until 
then  rested  satisfied  with  their  relationship  in  the  church, 
wdthout  any  true  Christian  experience,  were  aroused  from 
the  sleep  of  a  dead  orthodoxy  to  a  real  life  in  Christ. 
The  greatest  development  of  the  similar  movement  in 
England  took  place  under  John  Wesley,  who,  after  his 
own  conversion,  sought  to  arouse  the  same  genuine  spirit- 
ual life  in  the  Established  Church.  The  reader  will  liere 
remember  that  Mr.  Wesley  retained  to  tlie  end  of  his  life  his 
connection  with  his  mother  church,  while  the  great  move- 
ment known  as  Methodism  was  inaugurated  by  him  and 
with  the  help  of  his  active  associates  advanced  to  a  place 
of  so  great  spiritual  power  among  the  religious  forces 
of  the  world. 

Mr.  Otterbein,  under  the  guidance  of  the  eminent  and 
devout  Dr.  Schramm,  of  Herborn,  early  imbibed  Pietistic 
ideas,  and  we  are  here  to  recall,  as  above  referred  to,  that 
among  his  regular  duties  as  pastor  at  Ockersdorf  was 
that  of  holding  a  weekly  prayer-meeting.     Regular  meet- 


126  THE  UNITED  BBETHBEN  IN  CHRIST 

ings  of  a  like  kind  held  by  him  in  Tulpehocken  have 
already  been  spoken  of,  and  here  the  example  of  Mr. 
Otterbein  was  followed  by  Dr.  Hendel  when,  some  years 
later,  he  succeeded  to  that  charge. 

The  special  meetings  now  to  be  spoken  of  began  to  be 
held  in  the  month  of  May,  1774,  the  year  and  month 
of  Mr.  Otterbein's  coming  to  Baltimore.  Among  the  min- 
isters themselves  some  form  of  bond  was  adopted,  under 
the  name  of  "The  United  Ministers."  The  particular 
form  of  their  procedure  was  the  organization  into  bands^ 
or  unions,  of  those  in  their  congregations  who  desired 
to  interest  themselves  in  the  promotion  of  their  own  per- 
sonal piety,  and  to  seek  also  for  the  encouragement  of  a 
like  deeper  religious  experience  in  the  hearts  of  others.  In 
this  they  adopted  the  precise  method  of  Mr.  Spener  in  Ger- 
many. Such  bands,  or  classes,  were  organized  by  each  of 
the  ministers  in  his  own  congregation,  and,  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable, in  other  congregations  having  no  pastors,  which 
they  visited.  In  some  of  the  congregations,  where  there 
was  a  general  acquiescence  on  the  part  of  the  members, 
two  or  more  classes  were  formed,  the  men  and  the  women 
holding  their  meetings  separately.  Regular  leaders  were 
appointed  for  the  classes,  thus  showing  the  beginning 
of  a  feature  of  United  Brethren  polity  which  has  been 
maintained  since.  Some  of  these  leaders,  finding  thus  a 
special  field  for  the  exercise  of  their  gifts,  in  time  became 
ministers.  Among  these  we  find  prominent  the  name  of 
George  Adam  Guething. 

The  United  Ministers  for  two  years  held  regularly 
semiannual  meetings  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  reports 
of  the  work,  and  planning  for  its  successful  prosecution. 
The  minutes  of  these  meetings  were  some  years  ago 
discovered  at  Pipe  Creek,  near  Baltimore,  where  Rev. 
Benedict   Schwope  was   pastor.     A   transcript  of  those  of 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  127 

one  or  two  of  the  meetings  will  here  possess  a  special 
interest  as  illustrating  wdiat  was  sought  to  be  done  and 
the  methods  followed.  The  original  is  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Mr.  Schwope,  who  was  secretary  for  the 
organization.^ 

May  29,  1774. 

In  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

At  our  meeting  at  Pipe  Creek  the  following  action  was  taken 
respecting  our  several  congregations : 

1.  Concerning  the  congregation  at  Baltimore  it  w^as  resolved 
that,  besides  the  public  meeting  on  Sunday,  the  male  members  shall 
meet  twice  a  week  in  two  classes  ;  to  wit,  the  class  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  city  on  Tuesday  evening,  and  of  this  class  Leonard  Herbach 
is  appointed  leader  [Aufseherl;  the  other  class,  of  which  Henry 
Weidner  is  leader,  meets  on  Friday  evening.  The  female  members 
are  to  meet  separately,  every  Tuesday  afternoon. 

2.  The  members  at  Pipe  Creek  [die  Feiff-Kricker]  have  also 
formed  themselves  into  two  classes.  David  Schreiber  and  Michael 
Huebener  are  appointed  leaders  of  the  first,  and  Uhly  Aeckler  and 
Hans  Fischer  of  the  second  class.  These  are  to  meet  eveiy  Sunday  ; 
and  no  one  is  to  withdraw  without  good  reason. 

3.  The  members  at  Sam's  Creek  [die  jSain's  Kricker']  are  to  con- 
stitute a  single  class.  Adam  Lehman  and  Martin  Cassel  are  ap- 
pointed leaders.     They  are  also  to  hold  their  meetings  on  Sunday. 

4.  The  members  at  Fredericktown  [die  Friedrichstmcner']  have 
organized  but  one  class.  They  are  to  meet  on  Sunday  evening,  and 
propose  to  elect  a  leader  for  themselves. 

5.  The  members  at  Antietam  \_  die  Ant  Heme  r']  are  to  meet  every 
Sunday,  in  two  classes.  George  Adam  Gueding  [Guething]  and 
Samuel  Becker  are  appointed  leaders.  They  are  to  meet  alternately 
at  the  church  and  at  Conrad  Schnaebeli's  [Schnebley,  or  Suavely], 
or  wherever  else  the  leaders  may  direct. 

The  ground  and  object  of  these  meetings  is  to  be,  that  those  thus 
united  may  encourage  one  another,  pray  and  sing  in  unison,  and 
watch  over  one  another's  conduct.  At  these  meetings  they  are  to  be 
especially  careful  to  see  to  it  that  family  worship  is  regularly  main- 
tained. All  those  who  are  thus  united  are  to  take  heed  that  no 
disturbances  occur  among  them,  and  that  the  afTairs  of  the  congre- 
gations be  conducted  and  managed  in  an  orderly  manner. 

1  The  reader  is  here  referred  to  Dr.  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  194-202,  where 
the  entire  series  of  minutes  appears.  They  are  reprinted  from  a  translation 
of  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.  Dubbs,  published  by  him  in  the  Reformed  Quarterly. 


128  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Resolved  to  meet  again  on  the  first  Sunday  in  October,  at  D. 
Schreiber's.     Done  on  the  date  above  mentioned. 

W.  Otterbein. 

B.   SCHWOPE. 

The  second  meeting  was  held  on  the  date  and  at 
the  place  named  in  the  previous  minutes.  A  further 
organization  of  classes  is  the  principal  feature  of  interest. 
The  minutes  of  this  meeting  are  signed  by  all  the  above- 
named  ministers,  six  in  number,  Mr.  Otterbein's  name 
standing  first,  and  Mr.  Schwope's  last,  as  secretary.  The 
third  meeting,  the  minutes  of  which  follow,  was  held  at 
Frederick  City.  The  record  is  chiefly  that  of  reports  from 
the  several  charges. 

Fredericktown,  June  12,  1775. 

In  the  name  of  our  blessed  Lord.    Amen. 

We,  William  Otterbein,  William  Hendel,  Frederick  Henop,  Jacob 
Weimer,  Daniel  Wagner,  and  Benedict  Schwope,  have  met  in  this 
town,  according  to  the  resolution  passed  at  our  meeting  held  last 
October  at  Pipe  Creek,  and  after  due  examination  the  following 
was  found  to  be  the  condition  of  the  congregations  or  classes: 

1.  The  friends  in  this  town  are  at  peace,  and  continue  their 
private  meetings  twice  a  week,  besides  regularly  attending  the 
service  in  the  church. 

2.  The  friends  at  Pipe  Creek  are  equally  prosperous,  appear  serious 
in  their  conduct,  and,  it  is  hoped,  derive  a  blessing  from  their  meetings. 

3.  Those  at  Sam's  Creek  are  at  peace,  and  appear  serious. 

4.  Those  at  Antietam  are  again  at  peace,  after  a  slight  disturb- 
ance, and  meet  on  Sundays. 

5.  Those  at  Baltimore  are  at  peace  ;  but  it  is  to  be  feared  and 
guarded  against  that  with  their  good  order  and  regular  meetings  they 
do  not  take  the  appearance  for  the  reality. 

6.  Those  at  Sharpsburg  remain  in  their  previous  condition. 
They  hold  meetings.  There  is  no  reason  to  imagine  evil,  but  it 
might  be  wished  that  their  condition  were  more  prosperous. 

7.  Those  at  Funkstown  number  only  a  few  families,  and  as  they 
live  close  together  they  meet  according  to  their  convenience.  At 
this  place  progress  is  very  desirable. 

9.  The  friends  at  Canawaken  [  Conewago  ]  ( who  were  mentioned 
at  our  last  meeting  at  Pipe  Creek)  continue  to  meet  on  Sunday, 
besides  going  regularly  to  church,  as  is  our  universal  order.  We 
have  reason  to  hope  for  good  results. 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  129 

10.  Certain  friends  in  Hagerstown  were  interested,  but  none  of 
them  have  come  to  our  present  meeting.  We  hope  the  Lord  will 
kindle  among  them  a  flame  of  love  and  holy  zeal. 

11.  Resolved  that  our  next  meeting  be  held  at  Baltimore,  on 
Sunday,  October  15. 

Finally",  we  observe  that  since  our  first  meeting,  which  is  now 
more  than  a  year  ago,  no  disturbance  has  arisen  in  any  one  of  the 
aforesaid  classes  and  congregations — except  a  little  trouble  at 
Antietam,  which  has  been  covered  up  with  the  mantle  of  charity. 
In  this  may  be  seen  the  fruits  of  good  discipline,  in  that  at  least 
three  hundred  souls  have  remained  so  long  at  peace,  and  we  hope 
in  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  ;  and  may  doubtless  be  preserved  in  this 
condition.  We  hope  and  desire  that  the  Lord,  the  merciful,  would 
daily  add  to  their  numbers. 

Written  and  done  on  the  date  aforesaid,  by  order  of  the  United 
Ministers,  by  Benedict  Schwope,  Secretary. 

The  minutes  of  other  meetings  following  are  in  character 
much  like  the  preceding.  On  October  15  a  meeting  was 
held  at  Baltimore,  agreeably  to  the  resolution  previously 
adopted,  and  another  followed,  at  Hagerstown,  on  June 
2,  1776. 

This  meeting  of  June  2  is  the  last  of  which  any 
minutes  remain,  and  whether  any  succeeding  meetings 
were  held  is  therefore  not  known.  There  are  indications 
that  the  unfavorable  attention  of  the  coetus  began  to  be 
drawn  toward  this  movement  of  the  United  Ministers. 
It  would  be  quite  impossible  that  the  coetus  could  ever 
have  regarded  it  with  approval.  And  the  fact  that  at  this 
June  meeting  a  license  to  preach  was  ordered  to  be  granted 
to  an  applicant,  a  Mr.  Henry  AVeidner,  must  doubtless 
have  had  the  appearance  of  a  schismatic  procedure.  The 
license  was  not  signed  by  Mr.  Wagner,  who  may,  however, 
not  have  been  present  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  ministers, 
on  June  2.  It  is  also  known  that  Mr.  Wagner  and 
Dr.  Hendel,  who  were  somewhat  more  conservative  than 
Mr.  Otterbein,  began  to  have  some  apprehensions  as  to 
the  results  which  might   grow  out  of   his  more   decisive 


130  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

measures.  By  this  time  also  the  AYar  of  the  Revolution 
was  in  earnest  progress,  and  it  seems  quite  probable  that, 
with  the  prevailing  public  excitement,  the  meetings  were 
now  suspended.  At  the  June  meeting  another  was  ar- 
ranged for,  to  be  held  on  October  20.  It  is  probable  that 
it  was  never  held. 

There  is  good  reason  for  believing  that  Mr.  Otterbein 
cherished  the  hope  of  seeing  this  revival  movement 
spread  more  extensively  among  the  Reformed  churches, 
as  Pietism  had  done  in  Germany,  greatly  to  the  spiritual 
profit  of  the  German  churches.  And  he  had  the  greater 
ground  for  such  hope  in  the  fact  that  some  of  the  fore- 
most men  in  the  coetus,  notably  Dr.  Hendel,  heartily 
cooperated  with  him.  But  such  hope  ended  in  disap- 
pointment, and  the  necessity  soon  appeared  of  giving 
attention  to  the  work  of  revivals  among  the  churches 
which  he  visited,  without  such  formal  cooperation.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  work,  so  far  as  the  asso- 
ciation of  the  United  Ministers  was  concerned,  was  all 
within  the  Reformed  Church.  Mr.  Schwope  alone,  of  the 
company  of  the  United  Ministers,  remained  in  permanent 
cooperation  with  Mr.  Otterbein.  The  other  men,  however, 
carried  with  them  from  this  association  a  benign  spiritual 
power  that  told  during  the  rest  of  their  lives  upon  their 
own  work,  conducted  in  the  regular  forms  of  the  Reformed 
Church,  in  abundance  of  blessed  fruits.  Nor  did  the  sever- 
ance of  this  union  of  consecrated  men  draw  away  the 
hearts  of  any  of  them  from  Mr.  Otterbein.  The  most 
intimate  and  confidential  of  his  earthly  friends  up  to  the 
end  of  his  life  was  Daniel  Wagner,  and  between  himself 
and  Dr.  Hendel  the  relations  of  the  highest  esteem  and 
warmest  cordiality  existed  permanently. 

Of  the  laymen  who  were  appointed  leaders  of  classes, 
a   number,    as    we    have    already    seen,    developed    into 


MOVEMENT  TOWARD  A  SEPARATE  ORGANIZATION  131 

preachers,  and  these  joined  themselves  to  the  work  under 
Mr.  Otterbein.  Among  these  was  Henry  Weidner,  who 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  United  Ministers ;  also 
Adam  Lehman,  Leonard  Herbach  (Harbaugh),  Peter 
Kemp,  and  George  Adam  Guething.  The  last  of  these, 
however,  had  been  a  recognized  preacher,  un ordained, 
since  1774.  He  was  regularly  ordained,  as  already 
mentioned,  by  Mr.  Otterbein  and  Dr.  Hendel,  in  1783,  a 
fact  which  may  be  accepted  as  proof  of  Dr.  Hendel's 
continued  friendly  cooperation  with  Mr.  Otterbein. 

In  this  part  of  our  history  have  been  traced  more 
definitely  the  relations  of  ministers  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church  to  the  work  which  was  developing  under 
Mr.  Otterbein,  leaving  out  of  view  for  a  time  the  Mennonite 
branch  of  the  general  movement.  The  reader  will  see 
presently  that  during  these  years  there  was  in  progress 
among  the  Mennonites  a  steady  and  growing  activity, 
and  that  in  the  first  formal  conference,  that  of  1789,  to 
which  attention  is  presently  to  be  directed,  their  distin- 
guished leader,  Mr.  Boehm,  and  others  of  his  brethren, 
were  present  to  participate  in  its  counsels. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    FIRST    AND    SECOND    CONFERENCES 

I.       THE    FIRST    FORMAL    CONFERENCE 1789. 

It  has  already  been  seen  that  Mr.  Otterbein  was  reluctant 
to  take  any  steps  that  looked  toward  a  separate  church 
organization.  His  heart  clung  warmly  to  the  church  in 
which  he  was  born  and  reared,  the  church  of  his  devout 
and  honored  parents,  and  of  his  worthy  kindred  in  the 
Fatherland.  He  was  not  insensible  to  the  traditions  of 
the  Eeformed  Church  in  the  several  countries  of  conti- 
nental Europe,  to  its  noble  record  of  achievement  in  the 
historic  struggles  for  religious  and  intellectual  emancipation, 
especially  in  Germany,  in  Switzerland,  and  in  Holland, 
and  to  the  invaluable  legacy  of  blessing  it  had  nobly 
assisted  in  securing  for  millions.  With  the  memory  of 
all  this  noble  record  and  these  tender  family  associa- 
tions fresh  in  his  cultured  mind,  he  cherished  for  that 
church  an  affection  which  time  could  not  obliterate,  and 
which  the  sharp  and  ungenerous  criticism  of  brethren 
who  opposed  him  could  not  diminish.  He  was  by 
natural  organization  conservative,  and  not  a  separatist  ; 
earnest,  resolute,  steadily  adhering  to  a  purpose  deliber- 
ately formed,  but  in  no  sense  hasty  or  rash,  never  ready 
to  enter,  under  the  force  of  impulse,  into  an  ill-advised 
movement.  He  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree  those 
qualities  which  belong  to  a  judicious  and  safe  counselor. 
As  the  principal  leader,  therefore,  of  a  great  religious 
movement  he  manifested  none  of  the  reckless  haste,  the 

132 


THE  FIBST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  133 

pronounced  and  often  offensive  self-assertion,  which  have 
too  frequently  characterized  men  who  have  appeared  as 
leaders  of  schismatic  movements — men  who,  if  they  could 
not  have  their  own  way  in  governing  or  controlling  the 
affairs  of  a  denomination,  stood  ready  to  rend  in  pieces 
and  become  leaders  of  factions. 

But  while  Mr.  Otterbein  entertained  this  high  regard 
for  the  denomination  in  which  he  had  been  nurtured,  he 
was  profoundly  conscious  of  the  spiritual  dearth  which  so 
broadly  prevailed  among  its  people,  and,  having  himself 
entered  into  a  better  religious  experience,  he  was  earnestly 
desirous  that  others  might  attain  with  him  the  same  grace. 
For  years  he  allowed  himself  to  entertain  the  hope  that 
a  genuine  revival  of  a  purer  form  of  religion  might  be 
brought  about  in  the  church.  There  were  encouraging 
signs  of  this,  alike  under  his  own  ministry  in  his  own 
and  other  congregations  and  under  the  ministry  of  several 
of  his  more  devout  associates.  But  gradually,  through 
the  spiritual  inertia  which  so  widely  prevailed  in  both 
the  ministry  and  the  laity,  and  the  rising  tide  of  opposi- 
tion, which  became  more  pronounced,  this  hope  ceased  to 
be  entertained.  And  gradually,  also,  an  overruling  Prov- 
idence marked  out  for  him  the  way  and  led  him  onward 
to  that  greater  work  which  it  was  intended  he  should 
achieve. 

In  the  progressive  development  of  the  work  it  became 
necessary  to  supply  many  of  the  newly  formed  congre- 
gations with  lay  preaching.  Some  of  the  preachers  were 
the  men  who  had  been  previously  appointed  as  the  leaders 
of  classes  ;  others  were  young  or  older  men  in  whose  hearts 
God  had  awakened  a  deep  interest  in  the  salvation  of 
their  fellow-men.  Generally  they  were  men  of  limited 
education,  but  the  fires  of  a  true  and  warm  spiritual  life 
burned  within  them,  and  in  their  plain,  simple,  and  earnest 


134  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

way  they  declared  the  power  of  the  gospel  to  save.  Many 
of  them  continued  to  pursue  their  secular  callings,  giving 
their  Sabbaths  and  some  of  the  week-day  evenings  to 
the  preaching  of  the  word.  During  certain  times  of  the 
year  they  also  made  journeys,  frequently  quite  extended, 
to  engage  in  this  sacred  work.  Others  among  them  gave 
themselves  entirely  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  preaching 
on  every  Sabbath  and  usually  several  times  during  the 
week. 

For  a  series  of  years  these  men  pursued  their  work  under 
the  general  direction  of  Mr.  Otterbein  and  ^Ir.  Boehm. 
"Great  meetings"  (grosse  Versammlungen)  continued  to  be 
held,  at  which  the  ministers  were  usually  present  in 
considerable  numbers.  These  were  occasions  of  greatly 
prized  spiritual  reunion,  and  preachers  and  people  gladly 
availed  themselves  of  them,  often  traveling  long  distances 
to  attend  them.  They  also  afforded  opportunities  for 
counsel  between  the  ministers,  and  here,  and  elsewhere 
as  occasion  served,  Mr.  Otterbein  and  Mr.  Boehm  were 
accustomed  to  outline  the  work  to  be  done  by  the  ministers 
who  received  their  instructions  from  them.  But  the  time 
came  when  it  seemed  desirable  that  a  more  definite  and 
systematic  method  of  procedure  should  be  adopted,  and 
when  the  ministers  who  were  to  serve  the  various  churches 
should  not  only  perform  the  service  that  was  appointed 
to  them,  but  should  more  directly  share  the  responsibility 
of  the  work.  It  was  with  this  purpose  in  view  that  a 
call  was  issued  inviting  all  the  ministers  to  assemble  for 
a  council,  or  conference,  the  first  formal  and  definitely 
organized  conference  of  the  ministers  of  the  churches 
which  were  afterward  to  become  known  as  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ. 

The  conference  convened  in  Mr.  Otterbein's   parsonage, 
in  the  city  of  Baltimore.     Fourteen  ministers  were  recog- 


THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  135 

nized  as  members,  of  whom  seven  were  present,  and  the 
same  number  absent.  The  names  of  those  present  were  : 
William  Otterbein,  Martin  Boehm,  Henry  Weidner,  George 
A.  Guething,  Christian  Newcomer,  Adam  Lehman,  John 
Ernst.  Those  absent  were :  Benedict  Schwope,  Henry 
Baker,  Simon  Herre,  Frederick  Schaeffer,  Martin  Crider, 
Christopher  Grosch,  Abraham  Draksel. 

An  analysis  of  these  lists  shows  that  of  the  seven  men 
present  at  the  conference  five  were  of  Reformed  ante- 
cedents, and  two  of  Mennonite.  Of  those  absent  four 
were  Reformed,  two  Mennonite,  and  one  Moravian. 

The  reader  will  pause  here  to  look  in  for  a  few  moments 
upon  this  small  company  of  earnest,  spiritual  men,  seated 
together  for  important  counsel  in  the  plainly  furnished 
room  of  the  old  Otterbein  parsonage.  The  central  figure 
among  them,  the  man  to  whose  wise  words  all  gladly  defer, 
is  Mr.  Otterbein  himself.  Mr.  Otterbein  is  now  about  sixty- 
three  years  of  age,  and  in  the  full  maturity  of  sound 
judgment  and  ripened  purpose.  Thirty-seven  years  have 
passed  since  he  began  his  ministerial  work  in  America, 
years  of  earnest  toil  for  the  best  spiritual  fruits.  It  is 
about  twenty-three  years  since  his  first  meeting  with 
Martin  Boehm,  and  fifteen  since  he  entered  upon  the 
pastorate  of  the  independent  church  in  Baltimore.  Next 
to  him  in  ripeness  of  experience  and  safe  counsel  is  Martin 
Boehm,  still  wearing  the  plain  garb  of  his  Mennonite 
brethren,  and  still  possessing  the  genial  and  sweet  Christian 
temper  which  characterized  him  in  his  earlier  life.  He 
is  in  age  about  one  year  the  senior  of  Mr.  Otterbein,  and 
has  been  in  the  ministry  about  thirty  years.  More  than 
ten  years  previous  he  had  been  disfellowshiped  by  his 
brethren  because  they  could  not  understand  the  new 
spiritual  life  which  he  loved,  and  the  gospel  of  a  true 
conversion   and   conscious   salvation   which    he    preached. 


136  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Here  also  we  find  the  earnest,  laborious,  and  eloquent 
Guething,  who  had  left  the  school-room  and  quarries  of 
Antietam  to  hew  out  living  stones  for  the  beautifying 
of  God's  temple.  Of  Christian  Newcomer,  to  become,  after 
Otterbein  and  Boehm,  a  bishop  in  the  Church,  a  future 
word  is  to  be  spoken. 

We  can  readily  understand  that  the  sessions  of  these 
men  are  characterized  by  much  earnest  prayer.  A  great 
work  has  gradually  developed  under  their  hands,  and 
many  souls  now  look  to  them  especially  for  the  bread 
of  life.  Much  opposition  has  been  encountered,  alike  by 
the  preachers  and  the  people.  Their  methods  have  been 
derided,  and  in  numerous  instances  they  have  been 
excommunicated  from  the  fellowship  of  those  whom  they 
held  dear.  Ecclesiastical,  social,  and  family  ostracism 
has  set  its  ban  against  many  of  them,  often  with  much 
bitterness.  Gradually  the  people  have  been  gathered  into 
flocks,  and  these  men,  with  their  absent  brethren,  have 
become  shepherds  over  them.  The  time  has  come  when 
some  forward  step  must  be  taken,  not  only  in  more 
systematically  organizing  the  methods  of  supply  for 
preaching,  but  in  determining  upon  some  formal  bond 
of  union  by  which  the  scattered  societies  shall  be  brought 
into  a  closer  recognition  and  fellowship. 

Questions  of  the  most  serious  import  must  have  pre- 
sented themselves  at  this  conference  for  consideration.  We 
can  scarcely  doubt  that  the  question  of  organizing  a 
church,  a  new  member  in  the  then  more  limited  family 
of  Protestant  denominations,  was  introduced.  But  if  so,  it 
was  not  clearly  resolved  upon.  The  action  they  took 
would  in  some  respects  bear  the  interpretation,  but  it  does 
not  appear  that  they  applied  the  name  church  to  the 
compact  which  they  formed.  It  is  certain  that  they  did 
not  adopt  for  it  a  name,  nor  did  they  bring  to  completion 


THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  137 

various  features  that  are  essential  to  a  definite  church 
organization.  All  this,  in  more  distinct  form,  was  left 
for  the  Conference  of  1800,  when  a  name  w^as  adopted, 
and  the  fuller  essentials  for  an  organized  and  progressive 
church  life  were  provided. 

And  yet  when  one  reflects  upon  the  action  which  was 
taken,  of  a  two-fold  character,  namely,  the  adoption  of  a 
distinct  confession  of  faith  and  of  a  series  of  disciplinary 
rules,  it  is  difficult  to  resist  the  conviction  that  here — 
whether  these  men  so  intended  it  or  not — there  was 
actually  formed  a  church.  It  is  not  of  consequence  that 
the  Confession  is  brief,  or  that  the  Rules  of  Discipline  leave 
much  ground  to  be  covered.  The  Confession  is  compre- 
hensive and  embraces  the  most  vital  points  of  our  Christian 
faith,  and  the  rules  adopted,  simple  as  they  are,  were 
sufficient  for  the  requirements  of  the  time.  Nor  does  the 
failure  to  adopt  a  name  constitute  a  barrier  to  regarding 
the  organization  as  a  church.  The  early  Christian  church, 
organized  by  the  Lord  himself  and  his  apostles,  was  not 
known  by  a  definite  name  until  years  afterward,  wdien  "the 
disciples  were  called  Christians  first  in  Antioch,"  and  the 
confession  of  faith  and  rules  of  discipline  were  not  any 
more  definitely  outlined  than  were  these  of  this  humble 
conference. 

The  brethren  of  this  Conference  of  1789  doubtless 
builded  more  wisely  and  greater  than  they  knew\  Their 
work  was  germinal  indeed,  and  there  was  to  be  further 
development  before  all  things  could  be  provided  for ;  but 
here  the  foundations  were  laid,  and  the  work  moved  for- 
ward with  a  greater  measure  of  independence  than  before. 

II.       THE    FIRST    CONFESSION    OF    FAITH. 

This  instrument,  adopted  by  this  initial  conference  of 
ministers,  is  entitled  "The  Doctrine  of  the  United  Brethren 


138  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

in  Christ,"  the  title,  however,  being  not  a  part  of  the 
original  draft.  It  is  comprehended  in  five  articles,  as 
follows  : 

Abticle  1.  In  the  name  of  God  we  confess  before  all  men,  that 
we  believe  in  the  only  true  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost; 
that  these  three  are  one;  the  Father  in  the  Son,  the  Son  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  with  both;  that  this 
God  created  heaven  and  earth  and  all  that  in  them  is,  visible  as 
well  as  invisible,  and  sustains,  governs,  protects,  and  supports  the 
same. 

Art.  2.  We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ;  that  he  is  very  God  and 
man,  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  the  whole  world;  that  all  men 
through  him  may  be  saved  if  they  will;  that  this  Jesus  suffered 
for  us;  that  he  died  and  was  buried,  rose  on  the  third  day,  ascended 
into  heaven,  and  that  he  will  come  again,  at  the  last  day,  to  judge 
the  living  and  the  dead. 

Art.  3.  We  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost;  that  he  proceeds  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son;  that  we  through  him  must  be  sanctified 
and  receive  faith,  thereby  being  cleansed  from  all  filthiuess  of  the 
flesh  and  spirit. 

Art.  4.  We  believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God;  that  it 
contains  the  true  way  to  our  souls'  well-being  and  salvation;  that 
every  true  Christian  is  bound  to  acknowledge  and  receive  it,  with 
the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  his  only  rule  and  guide ;  and 
that  without  repentance,  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  following  after  Jesus  Christ,  no  one  can  be  a  true  Christian. 

Art.  5.  We  believe  that  the  doctrine  which  the  Holy  Scriptures 
contain,  namely,  the  fall  in  Adam  and  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ,  shall  be  preached  and  proclaimed  throughout  the  whole 
world. 

We  recommend  that  the  outward  signs  and  ordinances,  namely, 
baptism  and  the  remembrance  of  the  Lord  in  the  distribution  of 
the  bread  and  wine,  be  observed;  also  the  washing  of  feet,  where 
the  same  is  desired.  ^ 

This  creed,  so  clear  and  beautiful  in  its  expression,  and 
so  comprehensive  in  its  grasp,  is  most  manifestly  the 
production  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  discriminating  mind  and  pen 
— not  indeed  in  the  sense  of  the  creation  of  its  materials, 
but   in   the    judicious   selection    and    arrangement   of    its 

*  Confession  Prior  to  1815,  translated  by  Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  D.D.,  In  Disciplines 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  ISU-ISU,  p.  3. 


THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  139 

elements.  Brief  as  it  is,  it  is  worthy  to  take  rank  among 
the  foremost  creeds  of  Christendom.  The  reader  who  is 
acquainted  with  the  German  language  will  be  pleased  to 
see  it  in  its  original  form.  Here  its  strength  of  diction 
and  its  simplicity  and  directness  are  even  more  apparent 
than  in  our  translation  : 

Die  €ef?re  ber  X)erctntgten  Brubcr  in  CE^rifto, 

Sir ti! el  1.  ^m  Xiamen  ©otteS  Belennen  rcir  vox  ^ebermann,  ba^  nix 
gtau6en  an  ben  etnigen  wa^xen  ©ott,  SSater,  <Bof)n  unb  ^eiligen  ©eift,  ba^  biefe 
brei  ein^  jtnb,  ber  Skater  im  ©o^n,  ber  <So^n  im  ^atex  unb  ber  l^eilige  @ei[t  glei= 
d)en  3Befeng  mit  beiben,  baf;  biefer  ©ott,  §tmmel  unb  ®rben,  unb  alte^  wag  barin- 
nen  ift,  foroo^t  jic^tbar  aB  unfic^tbar,  erfc^affen  l^at,  unb  alteg  traget,  regieret, 
fd^u^et  unb  er^alt. 

21  r  t.  2.  2Bir  glauben  an  ^efum  G^riftum,  ba^  er  raa^rer  ©ott  unb  2}Zenfc^, 
^eilanb  unb  SSerfol^ner  ber  ganjen  2BeIt  ift,  ba^  aUe  9Jtenfrf)en  burrf)  tl^n  fetig  wer- 
ben  fonnen,  wenn  fie  rcoUen,  ba^  biefer  '^e\n%  fiir  un^  gelitten,  geftorben  un'o  he- 
graben,  am  britten  2'age  rcieber  auferftanben,  gen  §imme(  gefaf^ren  unb  am  jungften 
4age  rcieber  !ommen  rcirb  5U  rirf)ten  bie  Sebenbigen  unb  bie  ^oten. 

21  r  t.  3.  2Bir  glauben  an  ben  fieiligen  ©eift,  ba^  er  t)om  $8ater  unb  ©ol^n 
au^gel^e,  ba^  rair  burc&  i^n  miiffen  ge^eiligt  werben,  unb  ben  ©tauben  eriangen, 
toelrfjer  un^  reiniget  von  allex  33eflec!img  beg  ^-teifc^eg  unb  beg  ©eifteg. 

21  r  t.  4.  3Bir  glauben,  "ba^  bie  33ibel  ©otteg  2Bort  ift,  ba^  fie  hen  wa^xen  2Beg 
gu  unferm  ©elenl)eil  unb  <SeIig!eit  entf^alte,  ha^  ein  jeber  rcal^rer  ©l|rift,  biefelbe  mit 
ben  (Sinflixffen  beg  ©eifteg  ©otteg,  einjig  unb  allein  gu  f  einer  9iic^tfc^nur  nef)men  miif = 
f e  unb  bag  o^ne  Su^e  unb  ©lauben  an  ^efum  (Sf)riftum,  SSergebung  ber  ©iinben  unb 
3fiacf)foIge  ^efu  (Ef)rifti,  ^Riemanb  ein  rca^rer  (Shrift  fein  !ann. 

21  r  t.  5.  9Bir  glauben,  ba^  bie  i^el)re,  rt)eid)e  bie  ^eilige  ©thrift  ent^alt,  ncimlic^ 
t)er  i^att  in  2lbam  unb  bie  ©rrettung  burd^  ^efum  (£l)riftum  ber  ganjen  SCelt  gepre= 
^iget  unb  t)er!unbiget  raerben  follte.  2leu^ere  ^^if^en  unb  33erorbnungen,  namlirf) 
bie  %aii^e  unb  bag  ©ebcid^tnig  beg  ^errn,  in  2lugteilung  beg  $8robeg  unt  USeing, 
toerben  anempfo^len,  n)ie  aud^  bag  ^u^raafdien,  mo  eg  begef;ret  rairb.  i 

Upon  this  instrument  Professor  Drury,  in  his  Life  of 
Otterbein,  makes  the  following  just  remarks  :  "  The  Con- 
fession may  be  taken  as  a  reflection  of  Mr.  Otterbein's 
mind,  and  when  regarded  as  a  whole  it  is  simple  and 
majestic.     It  impresses  by  what  it   includes,  by   what  it 

^A  manuscript  copy  of  this  Confession  is  preserved  in  the  vaults  of  the 
United  Brethren  Publisliing  House  at  Dayton,  Ohio.  It  is  published  in 
Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  ISllt-lSItl. 


140  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

omits,  and  by  its  doctrinal  savor.  It  rests  on  the  Apostles' 
Creed  and  the  New  Testament,  and  adds  only  those 
necessary  specifications  in  regard  to  the  application  and 
mission  of  the  gospel  that  even  the  simplest  of  the  later 
creeds  have  been  compelled  to  include.  The  closing  part 
grew  out  of  a  particular  exigency.  The  glory  of  the  creed 
is,  that  while  Mr.  Otterbein  drew  it  together  he  did  not 
make  it ;  that  while  he  used  old  material  he  appreciated 
every  word  and  element  that  he  employed,  and  that  he 
was  biased  neither  by  obsolete  forms  nor  by  recent  con- 
troversies. The  creed  might  be  called  a  working  creed — 
a  fit  creed  for  a  revival  people,  whose  defense  is  rather 
in  the  heart  than  in  the  armor."  ^ 

The  "particular  exigency"  to  which  Dr.  Drury  alludes 
in  the  above,  has  reference  to  important  differences  in 
beliefs  and  practices  as  between  the  Reformed  and  Men- 
nonite  churches.  The  Mennonite  Church,  as  we  have  seen, 
practiced  only  adult  baptism,  while  the  Reformed  baptized 
also  infants.  The  Mennonites  practiced  feet-washing,  ele- 
vating the  "example"  of  Jesus,  as  narrated  in  John  13  : 
1-17,  to  the  character  of  a  sacrament,  ordained  for  perpetual 
observance  in  the  church.  The  Reformed  regarded  it  as 
only  an  example,  and  not  as  an  ordinance.  The  Mennonites 
entering  into  this  new  compact  could  not  at  once  abandon 
their  traditional  practices  in  these  things,  neither  could 
the  Reformed  adopt  them.  But  they  could  from  each  side 
consent  to  an  unhindered  freedom  to  practice  or  not  to 
practice,  according  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  sincere 
convictions,  traditions,  or  education,  and  this  they  did  most 
heartily  and  in  the  spirit  of  a  true  brotherly  and  Christian 
concession.  No  particular  mode  of  baptism,  nor  any  speci- 
fied age  of  subjects,  was  commanded,  and  the  washing  of 
feet  was  commended  when  it  was  desired. 

'  Life  of  OUerbein,  p.  232. 


THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  141 

The  spirit  of  this  concession  is  in  strict  harmony  with 
the  apostohc  feeHng,  the  reflection  of  the  same  broad 
charity  and  generous  forbearance  which  gave  so  rich  a 
glory  to  the  first  church  council  in  Jerusalem.^  And 
equally  is  it  in  accord  with  the  spirit  of  concession  as 
set  forth  in  that  earliest  of  church  manuals,  the  recently 
discovered  "Didache,"  or  "Teaching  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles."  Referring  to  the  practice  of  baptism,  this 
venerable  document  says :  "As  regards  baptism,  baptize 
in  this  manner :  Having  first  given  all  the  preceding 
instruction,  baptize  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  living  [running] 
water.  But  if  thou  hast  not  living  water,  baptize  into 
other  water;  and  if  thou  canst  not  in  cold,  [then]  in 
warm.  But  if  thou  hast  neither  [neither  running  nor 
standing,  neither  cold  nor  warm  water,  in  sufiicient 
quantity  for  immersion],  pour  water  on  the  head  three 
times,  into  the  name  of  Father,  and  Son,  and  Holy 
Spirit."  2 

It  is  cause  for  sincere  gratification  that  this  spirit  of 
mutual  forbearance  and  concession,  thus  appearing  in  this 
early  instrument  of  the  organic  life  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  still  remains  as  a  characteristic  of  the  denomina- 
tion. No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  limit  the  freedom 
thus  established  by  the  fathers  of  the  Church.  The  rite 
of  baptism  may  be  administered  by  sprinkling,  or  by 
immersion,  as  was  perhaps  generally  done  in  the  early 
church,  or  by  pouring,  as  permitted  by  the  "Didache." 
The  washing  of  feet  is  not  regarded  by  the  Church  as 
an  ordinance,  as  it  was  not  from  the  beginning ;  but  re- 
membering the  "example"  of  Jesus  in  teaching  his 
apostles    a    lesson    of    service,    it    is    permitted     without 

1  Acts  15. 

*  The  Oldest  Church  Manual,  Called  the  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  by 
Dr.  Philip  Schaff,  p.  30. 


142  THE  UNITED  BBETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

hindrance  to  the  few  remaining  among  us  who  still  cling 
to  the  customs  of  their  ^lennonite  fathers. 

III.       THE    DISCIPLINARY    RULES. 

Passing  from  these  observations  on  the  Confession 
adopted  by  the  Conference  of  1789,  the  "Disciplinary 
Rules"  which  were  approved  at  the  same  meeting,  and 
which,  Mr.  Spayth  says,  "governed  the  Church  from  the 
first  conference  held  in  Baltimore,  1789,  up  to  1815,"  that 
is,  up  to  the  time  of  the  first  General  Conference,  are  also 
here  presented.  The  following  are  the  rules,  as  translated 
from  the  original  by  Mr.  Spayth.  The  reader  will  observe 
that,  in  a  condensed  form,  they  are  based  upon  the  rules 
adopted  four  years  previously  for  the  Otterbein  Church 
in  Baltimore. 

{a)  That  no  one,  be  he  a  preacher  or  lay  member,  can  be  a 
member  of  this  Church,  who  should  be  found  to  lead  an  oflfensive 
life.     ( I.  Tim.  3:1-3;  I.  Cor.  5 :  13. ) 

(6)    To  keep  the  Sabbath  day  holy,  and  attend  divine  worship. 

(c)  To  attend  class-  or  prayer-meeting  once  a  week. 

( d )  That  no  one  be  received  into  the  Church  who  is  not  resolved 
to  flee  the  wrath  to  come,  and  by  faith  and  repentance  to  seek  his 
salvation  in  Christ,  and  be  resolved  willingly  to  obey  the  disciplinary 
rules  which  are  now  observed  for  good  order;  yet  always  excepted 
[provided]  that  such  rules  are  founded  on  the  Word  of  God,  as  the 
only  unerring  guide  of  faith  and  practice. 

( e )  That  a  neglect  of  class-  and  prayer-meetings  by  any  one,  after 
being  twice  or  thrice  admonished,  without  manifest  amendment 
(sickness  or  absence  from  home  excepted),  excludes  such  from  the 
Church. 

(/)  Every  member  to  abstain  from  all  backbiting  and  evil  speak- 
ing (I.  Pet.  2:1;  Jas.  4:  11).  The  transgressor  in  the  first  instance 
to  be  admonished  privately,  but  the  second  time  to  be  reproved  in 
the  class-meeting. 

{g)  Forasmuch  as  the  difference  of  people  and  denominations 
ends  in  Christ  (Rom.  10:  12;  Col.  3:  11 ),  and  availeth  nothing,  but  a 
new  creature  (Gal.  6:13-16),  it  becomes  our  duty  and  privilege, 
according  to  the  gospel,  to  commune  with  and  admit  professors  of 
religion  to  the  Lord's  table  without  partiality. 


THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  143 

{h)  That  each  member  strive  to  lead  a  quiet  aud  godly  life,  lest 
he  give  offense,  and  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the  adversary 
(Matt.  5:  14-16). 

(^)  All  offenses  between  members  shall  be  dealt  with  in  strict 
conformity  to  the  precepts  of  our  Lord  ( Matt.  18 :  15-18 ). 

(/)  Should  a  preacher  or  elder  be  accused  of  any  known  immo- 
rality, and  upon  the  testimony  of  two  or  three  creditable  witnesses, 
he  being  present,  the  charge  be  proven  against  him,  he  wiU  be 
immediately  suspended,  and  until  he  gives  proof  of  true  repentance, 
and  makes  open  confession  to  the  society,  he  remains  excluded  from 
the  Church.  The  same  rule  shall  be  observed  against  members  of 
the  Church  who  shall  be  found  guilty  of  immoral  conduct  ( I.  Cor. 
5:11-13;  I.  Tim.  5:  20). i 

The  reader  will  observe  that  the  word  "church"  occurs 
several  times  in  these  rules.  If,  therefore,  the  translation 
conveys  the  true  original  intent,  the  thought  of  organ- 
izing a  church  must  then  have  been  present  in  the  minds 
of  the  conference.  It  may  be  well,  however,  to  remember 
that  the  word  Gemeinschaft,  or  society,  was  the  term  in 
common  use,  a  word  signifying  an  association,  but  not 
necessarily  a  church.  The  word  "society"  appeared  for 
a  long  time  in  the  Discipline,  but  has  gradually  been 
displaced  by  the  word  "church." 

Mr.  Spayth's  remark  that  these  rules  governed  the 
Church  up  to  1815  is,  in  the  main,  yet  perhaps  not 
strictly,  accurate.  In  general,  we  are  to  accept  his  state- 
ments as  authoritative,  he  having  been  the  earliest  his- 
torian of  the  Church,  contemporaneous  with  much  of 
which  he  writes,  and  a  member  of  the  first  General  Con- 
ference, in  1815.  Anything  he  has  written  is  to  be  held 
as  doubtful  only  where  clear  evidence,  as  derived  from 
original  manuscripts,  is  to  the  contrary.  In  the  present 
instance  it  is  apparent  that  there  was  some  growth  or 
development  from  this  early  simple  form,  beginning  per- 
haps about  1809.  In  1813  a  definitely  formed  book  of 
discipline   seems   to   have   been   in   existence,  since,  at   a 

*Spayth's  History,  pp.  145-147. 


144  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

session  of  the  Eastern  Conference  held  that  year,  it  was 
resolved  "that  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Christian 
Discipline  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  be  printed." 
Up  to  this  time  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Rules  of 
Discipline  existed  only  in  manuscript  form.^ 

IV.       THE    SECOND    FORMAL    CONFERENCE 1791. 

In  the  year  1790  no  formal  conference  was  held.  This 
was  not  deemed  necessary,  as  the  early  conferences  were 
not  held  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  and  assigning  to 
ministers  the  work  to  be  done.  That  end  was  usually 
accomplished  at  the  "great  meetings,"  or  at  two-day 
meetings,  or  whenever  several  ministers  happened  to  be 
present  at  any  assemblage  with  the  leaders  of  the  work. 
The  conferences  seem  rather  to  have  been  held  for  the 
higher  purpose  of  mutual  understanding  as  to  the  general 
basis  of  their  proceeding.  Gradually,  without  their  having 
willed  it,  a  church  was  forming  under  their  hands.  The 
ministers,  as  well  as  the  people,  were  brought  together 
from  different  and  widely  varying  communions.  Their 
work  was  evangelistic,  but  numerous  congregations  separate 
from  any  other  church  relations  were  formed.  It  was 
necessary  that  they  should  meet  occasionally  for  con- 
sultation, and  especially  that  the  later  accessions  of  younger 
men  to  their  ministry  should  be  led  to  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  work  they  were  engaged  in.  With  this 
view  a  second  formal  conference  was  held,  in  the  year 
1791.  This  assembly  was  held  eight  miles  from  York, 
Pennsylvania,  at  the  home  of  Mr.  John  Spangler,  who,  as 
Dr.   Drury   remarks,  "was  a  large   land-holder   and  sub- 

1  For  a  full  view  of  the  early  Book  of  Discipline  of  the  Church,  including 
the  Confession  and  Disciplinary  Rules,  see  the  recently  published  volume  of 
the  "Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethren  In  Christ,  1814-1841,"  including  the 
German  originals  and  literal  English  translations,  with  an  Introduction  by 
Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  D.D.  The  volume  is  one  of  highest  value  from  many 
standpoints. 


THE  FIRST  AND  SECOND  CONFERENCES  145 

stantial  citizen."  In  church  connection  he  and  his  family 
were  German  Reformed,  but  they  had  been  swept  in  with 
the  current  of  the  great  revival,  and  their  sympathies  and 
fellowship  were  with  the  ministers  of  the  movement. 
Hence  they  gladly  opened  their  doors  to  entertain  the 
conference. 

At  this  conference  were  present  William  Otterbein, 
Martin  Boehm,  George  A.  Guething,  Christian  Newcomer, 
Adam  Lehman,  John  Ernst,  John  G.  Pfrimmer,  John 
Neidig,  and  Benedict  Sanders.  The  following  ministers 
were  absent :  Henry  Weidner,  Henry  Baker,  Martin 
Crider,  F.  SchafFer,  Christopher  Grosch,  Abraham  Draksel, 
Christian  Crum,  G.  Fortenbach,  Daniel  Strickler,  J. 
Hershey,  Simon  Herre,  J.  Hautz,  and  Benedict  Schwope. 
Thus  we  find  twenty-two  names  as  constituting  the  list 
of  the  ministers  at  this  time.  That  there  should  be  a 
rather  wide  disproportion  between  those  present  and  those 
absent,  is  not  a  source  of  surprise,  or  indication  of  in- 
difference. The  ministers  resided  in  three  different  States, 
the  modes  of  travel  were  slow  and  tedious,  and  since  there 
was  as  yet  no  organized  itinerancy  no  one  was  led  to 
attend  by  any  interest  in  the  question  as  to  where  his  next 
field  of  labor  should  be. 

No  formal  conference  was  again  held  until  the  year 
1800,  the  ministers  meanwhile  preaching  here  and  there 
according  to  plans  agreed  upon  at  the  various  meetings, 
as  already  remarked. 


10 


CHAPTER  VIII 

NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES 

I.       CHRISTIAN    NEWCOMER. 

It  will  be  in  order  here,  before  passing,  to  take  note 
of  some  others  of  these  early  laborers  who  were  associated 
with  Bishops  Otterbein  and  Boehm  in  the  founding  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  Next  to  these  two,  with 
Guething,  stands  Christian  Newcomer,  the  third  bishop 
of  the  Church,  who,  in  the  constancy  and  extent  of  his 
travels,  almost  takes  rank  with  Bishop  Asbury,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  whom  it  might  be  said, 
with  slight  exaggeration,  that  he  was  seldom  out  of  his 
saddle,  except  to  eat,  to  sleep,  to  preach,  or  to  hold  a 
conference. 

Mr.  Newcomer  was,  on  his  father's  side,  of  Swiss  descent, 
the  family  having  come  to  America  in  the  father's  child- 
hood days.  Their  home  was  established  in  Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  a  community  of  Mennonites, 
of  which  society  they  were  members.  Here  his  father, 
Wolfgang  Newcomer,  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Weller,  who  was  also  of  the  Mennonite  Church.  In  his 
autobiography,  or  "Journal,"  Mr.  Newcomer  relates  that 
they  were  devoted  people,  and  that  oftentimes  he  saw 
them  kneeling  together  in  silent  prayer.  In  their  family 
of  eight  children,  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  Christian 
was  the  second  born  of  the  three  sons.  His  birth  occurred 
on  January  21,  old  style,  that  is,  January  9,  1749,  or 
three   years   before   ^Ir.    Otterbein's    arrival    in    America. 

146 


NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES  147 

The  tenor  of  his  hfe  shows  that  he  was  a  man  of  cheer- 
ful and  sunny  disposition,  but  he  was  also  piously  inclined 
from  his  childhood.  He  tells  us  that  wdien  he  was  very 
young  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  strove  with  him.  Like  the 
boy  Samuel,  he  did  not  comprehend  the  meaning  of  the 
voice,  but  in  his  heart  he  desired  to  live  a  pious  life. 
Whenever  he  was  in  company  with  persons  who  were 
reputed  to  be  pious,  he  felt  rising  within  him  a  strong 
desire  to  be  like  them.  He  listened  with  eagerness  to 
the  conversation  of  older  persons  bearing  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  and  reflected  with  serious  thoughtfulness  upon 
what  they  said. 

Some  of  the  experiences  he  relates  are  full  of  suggest- 
iveness  for  the  present  time,  wdien  conversions  so  often 
seem  scarcely  to  reach  the  deeper  springs  of  the  heart. 
When  he  had  advanced  well  toward  maturity,  he  read  the 
Holy  Scriptures  with  deepening  interest.  Of  this  period 
he  says  :  "  In  the  meantime  the  grace  of  God  continued 
to  work  powerfully  in  my  heart.  .  .  .  Frequently  did  I 
endeavor  to  pray,  in  my  ignorance  of  the  ])lan  of  salva- 
tion ;  w^illingly  would  I  believe  and  persuade  myself  that 
I  was  one  of  the  happy  number  which  are  saved.  I  soon 
made  the  discovery,  however,  that  I  still  continued  in  the 
captivity  of  sin  and  Satan."  An  incident  which  shows 
the  strong  trend  of  his  convictions  and  feelings  at  this 
time  is  thus  related  :  "  I  remember  once  being  in  a  field 
at  w^ork,  when  the  grace  of  God  wrought  such  powerful 
conviction  in  my  heart  that  I  went  down  on  my  knees  in 
a  hollow  place  in  the  field,  crying  to  the  Lord,  and  saying, 
*0  thou  blessed  Saviour,  I  will  cheerfully  believe  in  thee, 
for  thou  art  my  Redeemer,  and  I  am  the  purchase  of  thy 
most  precious  blood.'"  Then  followed  a  conflict  with 
doubt,  and  he  was  not  yet  consciously  saved. 

These  spiritual  struggles  continued  for  some  time,  when 


148  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

by  and  by  he  realized  for  a  time  unutterable  peace  with 
God.  When  darkness  came  again,  he  sought  advice  from 
a  minister  in  the  Mennonite  Church.  "He  counseled 
me,"  he  says,  "to  be  baptized,  to  join  the  society,  and 
take  the  sacrament.  I  took  his  friendly  advice,  ...  bat 
all  this  did  not  restore  to  me  the  joyful  sensation  or  inward 
comfort  which  I  had  lost.  True,  I  was  not  accused,  nor 
did  any  person  even  insinuate  anything  derogatory  to  my 
religion,  but  I  knew  and  felt  a  deficiency  of  something 
within."  And  thus  several  years  passed,  when  at  last  he 
obtained  the  victory  of  faith,  and  was  moved  with  an 
irresistible  desire  to  communicate  his  experience  to  others. 
In  this  state  he  visited  a  Mennonite  minister,  to  whom  he 
"related  with  all  the  fervor  of  a  new  convert"  the  work 
of  grace  which  had  been  accomplished  in  his  soul.  The 
minister,  having  no  acquaintance  with  a  like  experience, 
expressed  doubts  about  it  all,  and  IMr.  Newcomer  returned 
to  his  home  in  sore  temptation  lest  after  all  he  might  be 
mistaken,  since  this  good  man,  in  whose  piety  and  wisdom 
he  had  the  fullest  confidence,  could  not  coincide  with  him. 
Later  on  came  another  victory,  when  he  resolved  to  visit 
the  minister  again.  He  found  him  lying  on  a  bed  of 
sickness,  and  soon,  to  his  great  joy,  the  minister  referred 
to  their  previous  conversation,  and  he  found  that  the 
words  he  had  spoken  had  proved  "as  a  nail  driven  in  a 
sure  place." 

But  now  came  the  conviction  that  he  should  tell  his 
neighbors  and  fellow  church  people  of  his  experience  of 
the  grace  of  God  in  his  heart.  This  meant  a  call  to  the 
ministry  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus,  and  now  there  must  needs 
be  another  great  and  protracted  struggle  before  he  could 
yield  obedience  to  the  high  behest.  Meanwhile,  having 
entered  into  the  marriage  relation,  he  removed  with  his 
family  to  Maryland,  and  it  was  on  a  visit  to  the  old  home 


NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES  149 

and  the  old  church  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
that  he  made  the  first  distinct  public  avowal  of  his  new 
and  blessed  spiritual  experience.  The  meeting  in  the 
church  and  his  part  in  the  service  he  thus  describes  :  "  I 
accompanied  my  friends  to  the  meeting-house,  not  with 
an  intention  to  say  anything,  but,  on  the  contrary,  with 
a  resolution  to  be  silent.  Sitting  for  some  time,  listening 
with  attention  to  the  discourse  and  exhortations  of  several 
of  their  speakers,  I  could  perceive  distinctly  that  they  still 
continued  in  the  same  ignorance  and  inexperience  of  reli- 
gion as  they  were  wdien  I  left  them.  It  now  ran  like  fire 
through  my  bones ;  I  felt  inwardly  constrained  to  take 
up  the  cross  ;  and  whereas  brethren  (namely,  the  Men- 
nonites)  gave  the  privilege  or'  liberty  to  speak,  I  dared 
not  remain  silent  any  longer.  I  arose  with  a  sorrowful 
heart,  and  spoke  with  tears  in  my  eyes  to  my  old  friends 
and  acquaintances.  I  related  to  them,  w^ith  all  the  ability 
in  my  possession,  how  I  had  oftentimes  felt  at  meeting, 
W'hen  living  yet  among  them  ;  candidly  stated  my  expe- 
rience of  the  work  of  grace  in  my  soul  before  I  left  them, 
as  also  what  the  Lord,  in  his  infinite  mercy,  had  done  for 
me  since  my  removal  to  Maryland.  I  also  sincerely  con- 
fessed to  them  that  the  Lord  had  required  of  me,  before 
my  removal,  to  warn  them  of  their  danger,  and  that  until 
this  day  I  had  been  disobedient  to  my  blessed  Master.  I 
was  so  affected  as  to  be  hardly  able  to  speak  intelligibly  ; 
but  I  stammered  as  well  as  I  could,  and  endeavored  to 
recommend  to  them  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 
Every  person  present  w^as  sensibly  touched.  All  shed 
tears,  as  well  as  myself,  and  I  have  no  doubt  many  were 
convinced  that  a  form  of  religion,  a  religion  that  .  .  . 
is  not  felt  in  the  heart,  is  insufficient  to  salvation.  After 
discharging  this  duty  I  felt  glad  that  I  had  been  obedient, 
and  an  inward  satisfaction  rested  on   my  mind."     From 


150  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

this  time  forward,  Mr.  Newcomer  tells  us,  he  was  frequently 
asked  to  speak  publicly  on  the  subject  of  a  deeper  religious 
experience.  To  these  calls  he  resjDonded  with  hesitation, 
but  in  the  spirit  of  obedience. 

It  was  apparently  soon  after  this  that  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Otterbein  and  Mr.  Guething,  of  whom 
he  speaks  as  ministers  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  who 
preached  frequently  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  resided 
in  Maryland.  Of  these  men  he  says :  "  Endowed  by 
God,  they  preached  powerfully,  and  not  as  the  scribes. 
Their  discourses  made  uncommon  impressions  on  the 
hearts  of  the  hearers.  They  insisted  on  the  necessity  of 
genuine  repentance  and  conversion,  on  the  knowledge  of  a 
pardon  of  sin,  and  in  consequence  thereof  a  change  of 
heart  and  renovation  of  spirit.  Many  secure  and  uncon- 
cerned sinners  w^ere,  by  their  instrumentality,  awakened 
from  their  sleep  of  sin  and  death — many  converted  from 
darkness  to  light,  from  the  power  of  sin  and  Satan  unto 
God.  They  soon  collected  many  adherents  to  and  fol- 
lowers of  the  doctrines  which  they  preached,  from  the 
multitude  that  congregated  to  hear  them.  Those  persons 
who  held  to  and  embraced  these  doctrines  w^ere  by  them 
formed  into  societies,  and  w^ere  called  Otterbein's  people, 
and  the  worldly-minded  gave  them  the  nickname  *  Dutch 
^lethodists,' "  which  in  those  days  was  considered  a  name 
of  reproach. 

Mr.  Newcomer  next  informs  us  that,  finding  that  the 
doctrines  preached  by  these  apostles  harmonized  with  his 
own  conceptions  of  the  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  joined 
himself  to  them  and  their  society.  In  order  to  take  this 
step  without  creating  friction  among  his  Meunonite  breth- 
ren, he  formally  withdrew  from  their  communion.  The 
date  of  this  change  of  relation  is  not  given,  but  as  he 
was  present  at  the  historic  initial  Conference  of  1789,  in 


NEWCOMEB  AND  ASSOCIATES  151 

the  Otterbeiii  parsonage  in  Baltimore,  his  connection  with 
Otterbein  and  his  co-laborers  is  probably  to  be  placed 
some  years  before  that  event.  Incidentally,  he  makes  the 
remark  that  "the  work  of  grace  now  spread  very  rapidly 
among  the  German  population  in  the  States  of  Maryland 
and  Pennsylvania.  From  every  quarter  resounded  the 
call,  'Come  over  and  help  us.'  The  harvest  was  great, 
and  the  laborers  few." 

Mr.  Newcomer,  like  most  of  these  earlier  evangelists 
of  the  Church,  followed  a  secular  occupation  during  all  of 
the  earlier  part  of  his  life,  and,  indeed,  after  he  gave  him- 
self fully  to  the  ministry  of  the  word,  and  during  the 
rest  of  his  life,  his  earthly  support  came  from  his  own 
material  resources.  His  attention  to  the  requirements  of 
his  business  was  often  suddenly  interrupted  for  days,  and 
even  weeks,  af  a  time.  Of  this  feature  of  his  earlier 
ministerial  work  he  makes  this  record  :  "  It  was  frequently 
required  of  me  by  my  brethren  to  attend  meetings  that 
were  appointed  by  the  people  without  my  knowledge. 
On  such  occasions  I  often  had  to  leave  home  and  travel 
a  hundred  or  more  miles  to  attend  a  two-  or  three-days' 
meeting,  which  occasioned  a  considerable  loss  of  time  and 
neglect  of  my  occupation.  This  also  required  a  great 
degree  of  self-denial,  and  many  a  sore  conflict.  .  .  .  But 
I  had  to  submit,  and  be  obedient  to  God  and  the  breth- 
ren, .  .  .  and  I  felt  such  a  burning  desire  in  my  heart 
for  the  salvation  of  poor  sinners  that  I  gave  all  thoughts 
of  self-interest  as  chaff  to  the  wind  by  simply  saying  to 
myself  that  the  salvation  of  one  precious  soul  is  worth 
more  than  the  possession  of  the  whole  world." 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  was  pressed  to  fill 
several  appointments  for  a  brother  minister,  thus  meet- 
ing an  experience  that  illustrates  his  character  alike  for 
fidelity  and  shrinking  bashfulness.     He  started  early  and 


152  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

was  in  time  to  meet  an  afternoon  appointment.  AVlien 
his  service  closed,  a  colored  man  brought  a  request  to  him 
to  visit  a  young  lady  who  was  supposed  to  be  dying.  The 
place  was  two  miles  distant.  On  reaching  the  place,  he 
was  ushered  into  a  rich  man's  elegant  mansion.  He  found 
the  young  lady  very  ill,  with  apparently  no  possible  hope 
of  recovery,  and  the  parents  and  friends  weeping  about 
her  couch.  He  spoke  to  her,  but  in  her  extremity  she 
was  unable  to  answer  him.  He  then  sang  a  few  verses, 
and  knelt  in  prayer.  In  the  act  of  prayer,  he  tells  us,  he 
had  such  freedom  and  power  as  he  had  never  before 
experienced.  On  rising,  he  bade  her  farewell,  again 
commending  her  to  God,  with  no  thought  that  he  should 
ever  see  her  again  in  the  present  world,  and  then  went 
on  to  reach  an  evening  appointment.  A  few  months  later 
he  had  an  appointment  again  to  preach  in  the  house  where 
the  colored  servant  had  met  him.  On  entering,  the  host 
informed  him  that  his  appointment  had  been  transferred 
to  another  house,  the  home  of  the  young  lady  to  whom 
he  had  ministered  on  his  previous  visit.  He  hesitated 
greatly  to  go  to  this  mansion  of  elegance  and  wealth  to 
preach,  and  the  more  so  since  the  request  was  made  that 
he  preach  in  the  English  language,  of  which  he  had  but 
imperfect  knowledge.  But  there  was  no  other  way  than 
to  go.  In  the  preaching  he  experienced  a  special  endue- 
ment  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  he  declared  the  word  with 
great  freedom.  His  audience  was  strongly  moved,  and 
as  he  proceeded  a  lady  arose  and  began  to  utter  loud  shouts 
of  praise  to  God.  To  his  great  surprise  and  delight  he 
presently  understood  that  it  was  the  same  young  lady 
whom  he  had  visited  in  her  sickness.  The  people  present 
were  greatly  moved,  and  Mr.  Newcomer  had  reason  to 
believe  that  the  meeting  was  blessed  to  a  number  of  them 
in  their  salvation. 


NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES  153 

Mr.  Spayth,  who  had  the  advantage  of  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  nearly  all  of  the  early  ministers  of 
the  Church,  says  of  Mr.  Newcomer:  "He  indeed  was 
a  chosen  vessel  of  the  Lord,  as  his  subsequent  labors 
most  amply  prove.  Though  in  some  respects  less  than 
Otterbein,  Guething,  or  Boehm,  ...  we  are  justified  in 
saying  of  him  that  the  grace  of  God  was  not  bestowed 
on  him  in  vain,  for  he  labored  more  abundantly,  jour- 
neyed more,  preached  more  frequently,  and  visited  more 
extensively.  He  w^as  just  the  man,  by  nature  and  by 
grace,  for  his  place — without  him  the  cluster  would  have 
been  incomplete ;  tall  in  stature,  of  a  commanding  figure, 
and  a  keen  visage,  a  voice  moderately  strong,  and  if  at 
times  impeded  for  a  moment  by  some  natural  defect,  it 
but  heightened  the  eff'ect  of  his  preaching,  drawing  the 
attention  of  the  audience  only  nearer  to  the  speaker, 
afibrding  him  an  opportunity  to  draw  the  gospel  net 
more  eff'ectually  around  them,  and  thus  secure  a  larger 
draft.  From  first  to  last,  and  for  many  years,  Brother 
Newcomer  made  good  proof  of  his  ministry,  in  all  things 
showing  himself  a  pattern  of  good  works.  .  .  .  He  was 
successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ,  and  unremitting  in 
his  labors,  being  often  and  suddenly  called  upon  to  attend 
meetings  appointed  without  his  knowledge,  to  reach  some 
of  which  he  had  to  travel  one  hundred  and  more  miles. 
These  protracted  meetings,  with  all  other  meetings  which 
he  attended,  required  much  time,  neglect  of  business  at 
home,  beside  traveling  expenses  ;  and  this  was  done  without 
receiving  the  least  remuneration.  To  do  this  required  on 
his  part  much  self-denial  and  sacrifice  of  domestic  inter- 
ests, which  brought  him  often  into  great  straits  and  sore 
conflicts.  But  .  .  .  his  burning  zeal  would  give  him  no 
rest,  in  season  or  out  of  season — neither  in  summer  nor 
winter.      He  was  sometimes  heard  to  say,   'Well,  this  is 


154  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

hard,  but  the  salvation  of  one  soul  outweighs  it  all — let 
me  go.'  Often  he  was  compelled  to  make  forced  rides, 
to  expose  his  person  in  the  most  inclement  season  of  the 
year,  and  the  stages  of  high  water ;  but  none  of  these 
things  could  check  him  in  his  course.  The  waiter,  when 
traveling  Susquehanna  Circuit,  in  the  year  1812,  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  of  cold  and  snow,  had  a  meeting  in  Berks 
County.  While  preaching,  Brother  Newcomer's  tall  figure 
made  its  appearance  at  the  door.  I  beckoned  to  him  to 
come  to  the  stand,  but  the  room  being  crowded  he 
remained  where  he  was,  and  without  leaving  the  door 
closed  the  meeting  with  a  very  impressive  exhortation, 
and  sang  and  prayed.  I  pronounced  the  benediction. 
The  audience  made  a  move  to  leave.  Now  was  New- 
comer's time  ;  he  shook  hands  with  one  and  then  with 
another,  addressing  some  by  name,  exhorting  all,  young 
and  old,  with  a  voice  and  visage  as  spiritual  and  holy 
as  if  he  had  just  come  from  the  court  of  heaven.  Many 
began  to  weep,  and  we  had  a  gracious  and  powerful 
blessing.  Thus  often,  when  it  was  thought  that  he  was 
far  away,  he  would  come  upon  meetings  unexpectedly 
and  unlooked  for,  but  his  coming  was  everywhere  and 
always  hailed  with  joy.  For  of  a  truth  God  was  with 
him,  and  had  made  him  a  blessing  to  the  Church  and 
to  the  people."^ 

We  are  to  hear  further  of  Mr.  Newcomer,  as  bishop  and 
leader  of  the  host  after  the  departure  of  the  first  chief 
shepherds,  Otterbein,  Boehm,  and  Guething,  to  their 
eternal  rest. 

II.       ABRAHAM    DRAKSEL. 

Another  found  among  the  fellow-laborers  of  Mr.  Otter- 
bein,  though    not    present    at    the    initial   Conference   of 

*  Spayth's  History,  pp.  67-69. 


NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES  155 

1789,  was  Abraham  Draksel,  who  has  been  called  the 
"silenced  Amish  preacher."  Mr.  Draksel  was  born  in 
Lebanon  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1753.  His  parents 
were  members  of  the  society  known  as  Amish,  which 
derived  its  name  from  Jacob  Amen,  a  native  of  Amenthal, 
Switzerland.  They  are  a  seceded  branch  of  the  Mennonite 
Church,  but  more  rigid  in  the  observance  of  outward 
forms,  and  insisting  on  greater  simplicity  in  dress,  the 
men,  for  example,  being  required  to  wear  hooks  instead 
of  buttons  ;  hence  also  called  the  "  Hooker  Mennonites." 
Mr.  Draksel  was  an  obedient  and  faithful  son,  and 
became  a  member  of  the  church  of  his  parents.  In 
due  time  he  was  encouraged  to  take  part  in  preaching 
the  gospel  among  them.  This  was  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  Mennonites,  among  whom  there  were  no  ordained 
nor  paid  ministers,  members  more  gifted  than  others  being 
chosen,  usually  by  lot,  to  expound  the  word.  But  Mr. 
Draksel's  preaching  made  a  deeper  impression  upon  his 
own  conscience  than  it  did  upon  the  consciences  of  his 
hearers.  He  came  to  feel  the  need  of  a  deeper  heart 
experience  and  found  his  prayers  answered.  He  began 
to  tell  his  brethren  of  the  grace  he  had  found,  urging 
them  to  seek  a  like  blessing,  this  in  the  behef  that  they 
would  gladly  hear  his  words.  On  the  contrary,  opposition 
was  awakened,  and  after  being  three  times  notified  by 
the  elders  that  he  must  desist  from  that  kind  of  preaching, 
he  was  officially  visited  and  informed  that  he  was  hence- 
forth silenced  as  a  minister  among  them.  This  announce- 
ment was  accepted  by  him  without  resistance,  and  he 
joined  himself  thenceforth  to  the  ministers  who,  with  Mr. 
Otterbein,  were  preaching  a  living  gospel. 

Mr.  Spayth,  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Draksel,  says:  "His 
gospel  labors  proved  a  blessing  to  many,  and  spread  much 
bv  his  enercretic  efforts  in  the  cause  of  God.     In  the  year 


156  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

1804  he  removed  with  his  family  west  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  and  settled  himself  near  Mount  Pleasant,  in 
Westmoreland  County.  From  here  he  made  frequent 
visits  into  the  State  of  Ohio.  Brother  Draksel's  name  will 
long  live,  and  be  cherished  by  many  in  and  out  of  the 
Church.  His  life  was  blameless.  His  countenance  was 
an  index  of  the  grace  and  spirit  that  dwelt  within.  With 
his  fine  silvery  beard,  he  resembled  the  patriarchs  of  old. 
He  was  a  pattern  of  piety,  a  lover  of  hospitality,  a  lover 
of  good  men.  His  end  was  joy  and  peace."  ^  In  the 
month  of  February,  1825,  he  entered  into  rest,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years,  having  been  a  minister  in  the  United 
Brethren  Church  for  forty -three  years. 

III.       JOHN    JACOB    PFRIMMER. 

Of  two  others  of  this  early  period,  members  of  the 
second  conference,  that  of  1791,  Mr.  Spayth  has  left  us 
sketches  from  his  personal  recollections.  The  first  of 
these  was  John  Jacob  Pfrimmer.  Mr.  Pfrimmer  was  born 
in  Alsace,  France,  in  1762,  and  was  brought  up  in  the 
German  Reformed  Church.  He  came  to  Pennsylvania  at 
the  age  of  twenty -six,  in  1788,  and  soon  after  found  the 
grace  which  Otterbein  experienced  during  his  ministry  in 
Lancaster.  Ere  long  he  felt  upon  his  heart  the  burden 
of  a  call  to  the  ministry,  and  being  well  educated,  and 
of  sincere  Christian  life,  his  fitness  for  the  sacred  calling 
was  readily  recognized.  He  possessed  strong  intellectual 
gifts,  was  a  fluent  speaker,  and  declared  the  word  in  a 
deeply  impressive  manner.  He  had  a  broad  knowledge 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  knew  how  to  w^ield  effectively  the 
sword  of  the  Spirit.  He  was  fond  of  clinching  his  utter- 
ances with  an  emphatic  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  properly 
attributing  all  authority  to  the  divine  Word.     He  preached 

1  Spayth 's  History,  p.  161. 


NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES  157 

the  gospel  widely,  first  in  eastern  Pennsylvania,  then  in 
the  Susquehanna  Valley,  and  afterward,  in  1800,  he 
crossed  the  mountains,  and  remained  for  some  years  in 
Somerset,  Westmoreland,  and  Washington  counties.  In 
1808  he  removed  farther  westward,  finally  settling  near 
Corydon,  in  Harrison  County,  Indiana,  where  for  a  time 
he  was  associate  judge  of  the  court.  He  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Miami  Conference,  which  was  organized  in 
1810,  the  first  w^est  of  the  Alleghanies,  and  which  for  a 
number  of  years  embraced  all  the  country  west  of  the 
Scioto  Valley.  He  was  ordained  in  1815,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  General  Conference  of  1825.  His  death 
seems  to  have  occurred  soon  afterward,  his  demise  being 
placed  in  the  necrological  list  for  the  same  j^ear.  His 
ministry,  according  to  Mr.  Spayth,  was  widely  fruitful  in 
blessed  results.  "As  a  result  of  his  labors  a  church  was 
built  in  1818,  in  his  neighborhood,  on  ground  owned  by 
his  son.  It  was  the  first  United  Brethren  church  built 
west  of  the  Ohio."^ 

IV.       JOHN    NEIDIG. 

The  second  of  these  men  whose  names  first  appear  in 
connection  with  the  Conference  of  1791,  was  John  Neidig. 
He  was  born  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1765,  but 
brought  up  in  the  neighborhood  of  Harrisburg,  on  a  farm 
to  which  his  father  removed  soon  after  his  birth.  His 
parents  were  of  the  Mennonite  Church.  Being  seriously 
disposed,  he  was  received  by  baptism  into  the  same 
communion  at  an  early  age.  His  exemplary  life  and 
thoughtful  habits  commended  him  to  the  confidence  of 
his  brethren,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  was  chosen 
by  lot,  after  the  custom  of  the  Mennonite  Church,  to  be 
a  preacher.     With  this  responsibility  laid   upon   him   he 

*  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  235. 


158  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

felt  deeply  the  need  of  a  heart  purified  from  sin,  and  of 
an  abiding  sense  of  experimental  salvation.  His  earnest 
prayers  for  this  grace  were  answered,  and  his  soul  was 
made  to  rejoice  in  the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  And  now, 
as  did  others  before  him  w^ho  found  a  deeper  significance 
in  the  gospel  than  the  observance  of  external  forms,  he 
began  to  preach  to  his  brethren  the  need  of  the  same 
divine  blessing.  He  insisted  strongly  on  the  doctrine 
of  the  new  birth.  This  was  a  kind  of  preaching  his 
brethren  neither  expected  nor  desired.  In  one  instance, 
as  related  by  Mr.  Spayth,  "w^hilst  he  w^as  preaching  and 
exhorting  with  much  feeling,  many  in  the  congregation 
began  to  be  moved,  and  some  were  crying  loud  enough 
to  be  heard.  The  old  preacher  [of  the  congregation] 
caught  young  Neidig  by  the  arm,  saying:  'Oh,  not  so, 
brother !  You  press  the  subject  too  far ! '  To  this  he 
quietly  replied :  '  There  is  no  stopping  this  side  of 
heaven.     I  will  press  it  yet  more  earnestly.'" 

Mr.  Spayth  w^arms  up  to  a  fine  glow  as  he  proceeds 
with  a  personal  description  of  Mr.  Neidig.  "Of  all  the 
brethren  we  have  yet  [spoken  of]  or  may  hereafter  notice. 
Brother  Neidig  was  the  Nathanael ;  a  man  possessed  of  an 
excellent  spirit,  meek,  gentle,  just,  having  a  good  report 
of  them  that  were  without ;  as  a  steward  of  God,  blame- 
less ;  as  a  teacher,  he  was  able  by  sound  doctrine  both  to 
exhort  and  to  convince  the  gainsayers.  The  virtues  and 
the  graces  so  essential  in  an  elder  in  the  church  of  God 
shone  all  around  him  with  a  clear  and  steady  light ;  .  .  . 
that  light  and  those  virtues  and  graces,  shedding  so  much 
luster  around  liis  path,  were  never  beclouded  nor  suffered 
a  momentary  eclipse  by  any  false  step  on  his  part  in  liis 
long  and  eventful  life.  His  language  was  select  and 
chaste,  in  the  pulpit  and  out  of  it.  .  .  .  The  sweetness  of 
his  voice  .  .  .  was  like  the  chiming  of  silver  bells.   .  .  . 


NEWCOMER  AND  ASSOCIATES  159 

As  a  builder  of  the  Church  .  .  .  the  materials  in  his 
hands  were  gold,  and  silver,  and  precious  stones.  If  a 
meeting-house  or  church  was  to  be  dedicated,  be  it 
Lutheran,  German  Reformed,  or  otherwise.  Brother  Neidig 
received  the  most  friendly  invitation  to  participate  in  the 
services  and  solemnities  thereof.  ...  His  fame  was  in 
all  the  churches." 

And  yet  this  man,  continues  Mr.  Spayth,  "such  as  he 
was,  be  it  remembered,  or  rather  in  charity  be  it  forgotten, 
the  Mennonite  Church  thrust  out  from  among  them,  as  it 
had  thrust  Boehm." 

Mr.  Neidig  gave  his  long  life  with  unremitting  diligence 
to  the  service  of  his  holy  calling,  continuing  to  preach 
almost  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life.  He  reached  the 
seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  fifty-third  of  his 
ministry,  before  he  laid  his  armor  down  to  enter  into  the 
rest  of  the  faithful.  But  a  few  days  before  the  Master 
called  him  a  friend  said  to  him,  "Brother  Neidig,  will 
you  allow  yourself  no  rest?"  With  tenderness  of  heart 
he  made  the  characteristic  reply,  "I  do  wish  not  to  be 
found  idle  when  the  Lord  cometh." 

Among  others  who  were  greatly  esteemed  for  their  part 
in  the  work  was  Christian  Crum,  who  was  born  near 
Frederick  City,  in  Maryland,  but  lived  subsequently  in 
Virginia,  preaching  extensively.  He  was  of  German  Re- 
formed parentage.  His  death  occurred  in  1823.  John 
Hershey,  whose  name  is  usually  found  among  those  present 
at  the  conferences,  was  of  Mennonite  birth.  His  home 
was  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  where  his  strength  as  a 
servant  of  the  Church  was  fully  recognized. 


Third  Period— isoo-isi 5 

CHAPTER  IX 

THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1800 

I.       ITS    IMPORTANCE. 

The  Conference  of  1800,  considered  in  relation  to  the 
progressive  development  of  the  Church,  is  to  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  important  in  its  history.  While  it 
did  not  bear  the  name,  it  yet  possessed  the  essential  char- 
acter of  a  General  Conference,  in  the  fact  that  it  exercised 
the  proper  functions  of  such  an  assembly.  One  question, 
especially,  of  gravest  import,  was  determined  by  it,  such 
as  could  properly  be  determined  only  by  a  General  Con- 
ference. It  framed  and  settled  in  perpetuity  the  name 
of  the  denomination,  a  step  which  could  only  be  taken 
by  a  body  possessing  the  highest  and  final  jurisdiction. 
Moreover,  it  elected  bishops  in  a  formal  manner,  another 
step  which  was  not  taken  by  either  of  the  preceding 
conferences.  But,  as  a  simple  fact,  the  conference  was 
representative  of  the  entire  Church,  so  far  as  the  body 
which  had  been  collected  and  organized  could  be  called 
a  church. 

The  conference  was  held  on  September  25  and  26,  at  the 
house  of  Peter  Kemp,  a  little  more  than  two  miles  west 
of  Frederick  City,  Maryland.  The  house,  a  substantial 
stone  structure,  is  still  standing,  and  is  a  commodious 
and  comfortable  farm-house.  Newcomer's  Journal,  in  the 
usual   form  of  the   brief   entries  in  his  diary,  makes  the 

160 


THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1800  161 

Uowing  note:  "25th.     This  morning  we  set  out  early; 
,me  to   Brother  Peter   Kemp's,  where  the  conference   is 

be  held ;  found  Father  Otterbein,  Boehm,  and  twelve 
her  preachers  there.  The  conference  was  opened  with 
iging  and  prayer  by  Otterbein  and  Boehm.  The  former 
ve  a  powerful  exhortation.  Then  were  all  the  brethren 
esent  separately  examined  respecting  their  progress  in 
e  divine  life,  their  success  and  industry  in  the  ministry. 
:th.  This  forenoon  Father  Otterbein  preached  from  Amos 
;  12.  Boehm  spoke  after  him.  After  transacting  some 
lier  business  the  conference  closed  with  prayer." 
Such  is  the  very  brief  and  very  incomplete  form  in 
lich  a  most  important  statement  is  couched.  It  is  un- 
tisfying,  because  we  naturally  want  to  know  much  more 
out  this  early  conference  than  is  now  possible  to  be 
lown,  and  we  would  anxiously  look  for  information  from 
e  pen  of  one  who  participated  in  the  proceedings,  and 
10  subsequently  himself  became  so  important  a  figure  in 
e  rising  Church.  But  the  statement,  brief  as  it  is,  pos- 
3ses  yet  the  greatest  value  as  fixing  the  fact  of  the  occur- 
ice  of  a  historic  event,  and  settling  both  its  time  and 
ace.  It  also  indicates  with  equal  distinctness  who  were 
e  recognized  leaders  of  the  conference,  as  of  the  great 
Dvement  itself  which  this  conference  represented.  Otter- 
in  and    Boehm   were  found  there   by   Newcomer  when 

arrived.  The  session  of  the  first  day  was  opened  by 
terbein  and  Boehm,  the  former  giving  a  powerful 
hortation.  In  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  Otterbein 
eached  to  the  conference  and  Boehm  spoke  after  him. 
lese  were  the  men  who  stood  at  the  front  of  the  move- 
3nt,  had  been  from  the  beginning  its  providential,  though 
t  formally  elected,  bishops,  and  now  were  in  due  order 

election  recognized  in  that  office. 


162  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

II.       MINUTES    OF    THE    CONFERENCE. 

The  minutes  of  the  conference  were  themselves  also 
recorded  in  briefest  form,  but  contemporaneous  sources 
furnish  interesting  confirmatory  information.  These  min- 
utes, with  those  of  the  succeeding  conferences,  up  to  1830, 
and  including  those  of  the  General  Conferences  of  1815 
and  1817,  are  happily  preserved,  and  are  found  in  the 
fire-proof  vaults  of  the  Church  Publishing  House,  at 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

The  ministers  who  w^ere  present  at  this  conference  w^ere 
the  following:  Otterbein,  Boehm,  Guething,  Pfrimmer, 
Newcomer,  Lehman,  Draksel,  Christian  Crum,  Henry 
Crum,  John  Hershey,  J.  Geisinger,  Henry  Boehm,  D. 
Aurandt,  and  Jacob  Baulus.  Those  absent  w^ere :  SchafFer, 
Crider,  Grosch,  Neidig,  Abraham  Mayer,  G.  Fortenbach, 
David  Snyder,  Adam  Riegel,  A.  Hershey,  Christian 
Hershey,  John  Ernst,  of  Pennsylvania  ;  Thomas  Winters, 
M.  Thomas,  of  Maryland  ;  Simon  Her  re,  Daniel  Strickler, 
John  Senseny,  Abraham  Hiestand,  and  I.  Niswander,  of 
Virginia. 

The  reader  will  be  pleased  here  to  see  a  transcript  of 
the  minutes  of  some  of  these  early  conferences.  Of  the 
first  conference,  that  of  1800,  the  wdiole  record,  after  the 
mention  of  the  time  and  place  and  of  the  members  present 
as  just  given,  is  embodied  in  four  short  paragraphs.  They 
are  recorded  in  the  German  language,  of  wdiich  the  follow- 
ing is  a  translation  : 

•Every  preacher  spoke  first  in  regard  to  his  own  experience,  and 
then  declared  his  intention  to  continue  to  preach,  by  the  assisting 
grace  of  God,  in  full  earnest,  to  the  honor  of  God  and  the  blessing 
of  mankind. 

Resolved,  That  two  preachers  shall  be  appointed  to  investigate 
the  case  of  D.  Aurandt,  as  to  his  authority  to  administer  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  supper. 

Resolved,  That  annually  a  day  shall  be  appointed  on  which  the 


THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1800  163 

imsectarian  preachers  shall  assemble  together  and  counsel  how  they 
can  become  more  useful  in  their  office,  so  that  the  church  of  God 
may  be  built  up,  sinners  converted  unto  God,  and  God  glorified. 

The  conference  was  opened  with  prayer,  the  reading  of  a  chapter, 
and  a  short  exhortation  by  Brother  Otterbein,  and  closed  with  prayer. 

III.   THE  PRESENT  NAME  OF  THE  CHURCH  ADOPTED. 

Preceding  this  record  and  the  other  minutes  which 
follow,  is  a  brief  prefatory  remark,  answering  as  a  kind 
of  title-page  to  the  whole  :  "  Here  now  follow  what,  from 
the  year  1800,  the  United  Brotherhood  in  Christ  Jesus — 
until  1800  the  United  \_die  Vereinigte^ — have  done  in  their 
annual  conferences  for  the  government  of  preachers  and 
church  members."  Upon  the  language  of  this  preface  it 
is  proper  to  remark  that  the  name  die  Vereinlgte,  meaning 
simply  "the  United,"  or  "the  Unified,"  was  an  abbreviated 
appellation  for  die  Vereinigte  Brilder,  or  "the  United 
Brethren."  Upon  this  name  Dr.  Drury,  in  his  Life  of 
Otterbein,  has  the  following  valuable  note,  quite  worthy 
of  being  here  transcribed  : 

"  Many  other  names  were  also  in  use  ;  as  die  Freiheits 
Leute  (the  Liberty  People),  die  Gemeinde  (the  Church), 
die  Allgemeine  Briiderschaft  (the  General  Brotherhood), 
die  Neu  Reformirte  (the  New  Reformed),  die  Neu  Mennon- 
iten  (the  New  Mennonites),  die  Brilder  (the  Brethren),  die 
Bblimisclie  (Boehm's  Followers),  die  Otter beinianer  (the 
Otterbeinians),  and  die  Unjpartheischen  (the  Unsectarian). 
Some  of  these  designations  would  include  all  of  the  socie- 
ties, and,  on  the  other  hand,  some  of  them  were  used,  in 
particular  cases,  in  regard  to  societies  that  sustained  only 
a  fraternal  relation  to  the  United  Brethren.  There  were 
also  circles  of  Mennonites  that  were  called  by  the  name  of 
the  minister  through  whom  they  were  awakened,  as  the 
Landis  Leute  (Landis'  People),  and  the  Lichtes  Leute  (Light's 
People,  the  followers  of  Felix  Light,  who  began  to  preach 


164  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

between  1800  and  1803).  Through  the  course  of  forty 
years  these  semi-independent  Mennonite  circles  were  break- 
ing into  the  widening  circle  of  the  United  Brethren. 
Thus  the  Mennonite  contribution  was  greatly  enlarged. 
After  the  death  of  the  pioneer  preachers  the  lines  on  the 
Reformed  side,  owing  to  a  reviving  church-spirit,  became 
sufficiently  rigid  to  materially  lessen  the  accessions  from 
that  quarter.  In  consequence  of  this  waning  importance 
of  Reformed  elements,  some,  by  failing  to  look  back  to 
the  earlier  times,  fail  to  recognize  the  real  position  and 
importance  of  Otterbein."^ 

It  will  impress  the  reader  as  a  rather  singular  circum- 
stance that  in  these  official  minutes  of  the  Conference  of 
1800  no  reference  is  made  to  either  of  the  two  transactions 
which  gave  to  the  conference  its  distinguished  place  in 
historic  importance.  The  first  omission  relates  to  the 
official  adoption  of  a  name  for  the  Church.  We  have 
just  seen  that  the  society,  or  collection  of  societies,  was 
known  by  several  designations,  as  might  be  suggested  by 
local  circumstances.  But  here  a  definite  and  distinct 
name  was  adopted  which  has  continued  to  be  the  official 
name  of  the  Church  since  that  day,  that  is,  The  United 
Brethren  in  Christ.  Have  we,  then,  in  the  absence  of  any 
statement  in  thie  official  record,  any  undoubted  proof  of 
this  fact?  One  source  of  proof  is  the  distinct  tradition 
which  has  been  handed  down  from  the  fathers.  There 
are  many  now  living  who  in  their  earlier  life  had 
acquaintance  with  those  who  saw  Otterbein  and  the  men 
who  cooperated  with  him,  as,  for  example.  Bishop  Joseph 
Hoffhian,  —  who  was  ordained  by  Otterbein,  and  succeeded 
him  as  pastor  of  the  old  church  in  Baltimore  on  the  deatli 
of  the  Bishop, — the  elder  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  and  others, 
whose   testimony  on   this   point  was  often  repeated.     But 

1  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  275. 


THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1800  165 

there  is  also  the  written  testimony  of  the  Rev.  H.  G. 
Spayth,  who  was  a  member  of  the  first  General  Conference, 
just  fifteen  years  later,  and  secretary  of  that  body.  Mr. 
Spayth  was  personally  acquainted  with  nearly  all,  if  not 
all,  of  the  men  who  sat  in  the  Conference  of  1800.  Otter- 
bein,  Boehm,  Guething,  Newcomer,  Draksel,  Pfrimmer, 
and  others  were  to  him  familiar  names.  His  statement, 
therefore,  is  to  be  accepted  as  final  authority  upon  this 
point.  That  the  reader  may  see  Mr.  Spayth's  own  lan- 
guage, the  precise  record  is  here  reproduced  : 

"At  this  conference,  there  being  a  good  representation 
of  the  Church  in  general,  the  name  'United  Brethren,'  with 
the  addition  'in  Christ,'  was  adopted.  The  appellative 
'United  Brethren'  had  characterized  the  Brethren  as  a 
distinct  body  of  Christians  for  a  considerable  time  previous 
to  the  sitting  of  this  conference.  But  it  was  suggested 
(and  not  without  reason)  that  the  name  'United  Brethren,' 
when  used  in  papers  of  record  pertaining  to  the  Church, 
in  property,  bequests,  legacies,  or  otherwise,  might  raise 
a  legal  inquiry  as  to  who  or  what  church  was  intended 
by  'United  Brethren,'  forasmuch  as  the  Moravians,  under 
Count  Zinzendorf,  in  1727,  had  formed  their  first  society 
under  and  by  the  name  'United  Brethren,'  or  Unitas 
Fratrum.  To  avoid  a  misapplication  in  consequence  of 
the  similarity  of  the  name,  which  it  was  now  too  late 
to  change,  'in  Christ'  was  added,  and  since  then  [the 
name]  has  been  written  and  known  as  The  Church  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ^'^ 

A  third  source  of  proof  that  the  name  was  adopted  by 
this  Conference  of  1800,  is  found  in  the  Discipline  of  1815. 
In  the  historical  statement  which  precedes  the  body  proper 
of  the  Discij)line,  the  record  is  made:  "In  order  now  to 
labor  in  a  truly  useful  and  church-like  way,  the  preachers 

» Spayth's  History,  pp.  82,  as. 


166  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

saw  themselves  obliged  to  appoint  a  confereuce  where  they 
might  come  together  to  unite  themselves  properly  ;  because 
some  were  Reformed,  others  Lutherans,  others  Mennonites, 
etc.  They  therefore  appointed  the  25th  of  September, 
1800,  .  .  .  for  the  conference.  There  came  together 
thirteen  preachers,  who  united  themselves  into  a  society 
which  bears  the  name  'The  United  Brethren  in  Christ.' 
They  elected  William  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm  as 
superintendents  or  bishops."^ 

The  date  of  this  Discipline  is  so  near  to  that  of  the 
conference  which  adopted  the  name  as  to  leave  no  possible 
room  for  doubt.  Whatever,  in  the  extreme  brevity  of  the 
official  minutes  of  the  conference,  may  be  omitted  from 
their  pages,  the  fact  concerning  the  adoption  of  the  name 
at  that  time  is  here  fully  established.  A  copy  of  this 
very  Discipline,  now  so  interesting  and  valuable  because 
it  is  the  first  Discipline  printed,  is  preserved  in  the  fire- 
proof vaults  of  tlie  Church  Publishing  House,  at  Dayton. 
It  is  printed  in  the  German  language,  and  bears  on  its 
title-page  the  imprint  "Hagerstown:  .  .  .  1816." 

IV.       ELECTION    OF    BISHOPS. 

The  second  important  step  taken  by  this  conference 
was  the  formal  election  of  bishops.  The  Church  had  not, 
indeed,  been  without  a  bishop  or  bishops,  as  Mr.  Spayth 
very  justly  observes.  Otterbein,  as  chief,  and  Boehm,  as 
almost  equal  associate,  had  exercised  with  the  utmost 
care  and  fidelity  the  prerogatives  of  chief  shepherds, 
though  not  elected  by  any  actual  vote  to  the  office. 
Tlieir  function,  like  that  of  Peter  among  his  brethren 
in  the  earlier  apostolic  days,  had  been  fully  recognized. 
But  the  time  had  come  when  it  seemed  proper  by 
an    actual   official  act  to  recognize  them  in  the    relation 

1  See  Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethreyi  in  Christ,  ISIU-ISUI,  p.  10. 


THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1800  167 

they  had  until  now  informally  sustained,  and  accordingly 
these  two  leaders  were  at  this  conference,  with  due  formal- 
ity, elected  bishops.  Here  again  the  record  made  by  Mr. 
Spayth  may  with  propriety  be  quoted  : 

"The  next  step  the  conference  took  was  to  elect  two 
brethren  to  the  office  of  superintendent,  or  bishop,  and 
William  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm  were  elected.  By 
this  it  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  Church  had  been 
without  a  chief.  The  office  of  superintendent  had  been 
exercised  by  Otterbein  up  to  this  time,  —  not  by  right  of 
election  or  choice,  but  by  the  force  of  circumstances  insep- 
arably connected  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Church. 
All  eyes  had  been  directed  to  him  to  lead  in  counsel.  The 
preachers,  not  one  excepted,  paid  this  deference  to  him. 
The  care  of  all  the  churches  had  been  resting  upon 
him,  and  such  were  the  love  and  obedience  to  him  that 
if  he  said  to  one,  'Go,'  he  went,  and  if  to  another,  'Come,' 
he  came."^ 

But  other  evidence  comes  from  additional  sources  which 
fully  sustains  the  record  of  Mr.  Spayth  both  as  to  the  fact 
and  the  significance  of  this  election.  The  first  is  the 
statement  found  in  the  official  minutes  of  the  first  General 
Conference,  in  1815,  whose  members  w^ere  largely  the  same 
men  who  were  in  the  Conference  of  1800.  On  this  point 
see  the  paragraph  just  quoted  from  the  first  printed  Dis- 
cipline, where  the  election  of  Otterbein  and  Boehm  as 
superintendents  or  bishops  is  distinctly  affirmed. 

Still  another  source  of  evidence  is  found  in  the  writings 
of  Henry  Boehm,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Conference 
of  ISOO.  Henry  Boehm,  w^ho,  as  a  minister  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  rounded  up  a  full  century 
of  life,  was  a  son  of  Bishop  Martin  Boehm.  He  was 
attracted  to  the  Methodist  Church  by  the  greater  thorough- 

iSpayth's  History,  p.  83. 


168  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ness  of  its  organization  at  that  time,  and  was  for  many 
years  the  traveling  companion  of  Bishop  Asbury.  He 
began  keeping  a  diary  as  early  as  1800,  and  from  the 
notes  in  this  he  makes  in  his  later  book  of  "Reminis- 
cences" the  remark  concerning  this  conference:  "They 
[the  United  Brethren]  elected  bishops  for  the  first  time. 
William  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm  (my  father)  were 
unanimously  chosen."^ 

One  more  direct  proof  of  the  formal  election  of  Otter- 
bein and  Boehm  as  bishops  will  suffice.  It  is  found  in 
the  official  record  of  the  minutes  of  the  Conference  of 
1802,  as  follows : 

^^  Resolved,  That  in  case  one  of  our  superintendents— W.  Otterbein 
and  Martin  Boehm  —  should  die,  another  one  in  his  place  shall 
always  be  appointed.  This  is  the  wish  of  these  two  brethren,  and 
the  unanimous  wish  of  all  the  preachers  present." 

Thus  passed  into  history  this  third  formal  assembling 
of  the  early  ministers  of  the  Church,  so  simple  in  all  its 
characteristics,  and  yet  so  important  in  its  historic  signifi- 
cance. The  Church  was  to  bear  henceforth  a  name  which 
should  distinguish  it  from  all  other  religious  bodies,  and 
it  was  also  organized  for  the  more  effective  prosecution  of 
the  high  mission  to  which  God  providentially  appointed  it. 

»Boehm's  Reminiscences,  pp.  65,  56. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814 
I.       THE    CONFERENCE    OF    1801. 

The  Conference  of  1801  was  also  held  at  the  home  of 
Hev.  Peter  Kemp,  commencing  on  September  23,  and 
extending  through  the  24th  and  25th.  Nineteen  preachers 
were  present.  All  those  in  attendance  at  the  Conference 
of  1800  were  present  at  this  session,  except  Pfrimmer, 
Henry  Boehm,  Draksel,  and  Lehman.  The  new  names 
appearing  in  the  list  of  those  present  were  Daniel  Strickler, 
Peter  Senseny,  Frederick  Schaffer,  John  Neidig,  A.  Mayer, 
D.  Snyder,  M.  Thomas,  A.  Hershey,  D.  Long,  Thomas 
Winters,  L.  Duckwald,  Peter  Kemp,  and  M.  Kessler.  On 
the  first  evening,  says  Newcomer  in  his  Journal,  a  meeting 
of  gracious  power  was  held  in  a  neighboring  house.  The 
mother  of  the  family  and  several  others  were  converted  to 
God.  Thus  did  these  early  ministers  turn  every  occasion  to 
good  account  in  preaching  Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  sinners 
and  in  seeking  to  win  them  to  eternal  life.  The  second  day 
appears  to  have  been  a  busy  one,  many  different  topics 
being  under  consideration.  Newcomer  remarks  upon  the 
brotherly  spirit  manifested  among  the  brethren.  "General 
unanimity,"  he  says,  "of  love  prevailed."  Of  the  third 
day  he  says :  "  Father  Otterbein  preached  this  day  with 
uncommon  perspicuity  and  power.  His  text  was  in  the 
Epistle  of  Jude.  The  force  with  which  he  pointed  out  the 
greatness,  the  importance,  and  responsibility  of  the  minis- 
terial office,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  me." 


170  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

At  this  conference  a  resolution  was  adopted  requiring 
each  preacher,  after  preaching,  to  hold  a  conversation 
with  those  who  might  be  seeking  the  conversion  of  their 
souls.  The  form  of  the  resolution  is  an  index  of  the 
common  fact  of  those  times,  that  ministers  expected  to 
find  inquirers  after  almost  any  sermon.  The  prevailing 
type  of  the  preaching  looked  toward  the  immediate  con- 
viction and  conversion  of  sinners.  Another  resolution 
was  adopted  which  instructed  the  preachers  to  be  brief 
in  speaking,  and  to  avoid  all  superfluous  words  in  their 
prayers  and  sermons.  If,  however,  the  Holy  Spirit  should 
manifestly  lead  to  greater  length,  it  was  equally  their 
duty  to  follow  the  divine  direction. 

Something  was  done  at  this  conference  toward  forming 
more  distinctly  a  regular  itinerancy,  and  we  find  the 
names  of  ten  men  who  consented  to  travel  as  directed, 
as  follows  :  Christian  Newcomer,  David  Snyder,  M.  Thomas, 
Abraham  Hershey,  Daniel  Strickler,  Abraham  Mayer,  Fred- 
erick SchafFer,  David  Long,  John  Neidig,  and  Peter  Kemp. 

II.      THE    CONFERENCE    OP    1802. 

At  the  Conference  of  1802  there  were  thirteen  ministers 
present.  Mr.  Newcomer,  in  his  Journal,  says  :  ''  October 
5th — To-day  we  set  ofi*  for  our  conference.  Came  to 
Peter  Kemp's,  where  Father  Otterbein  had  already  ar- 
rived. Here  we  tarried  together  for  the  night.  6th  — 
To-day  our  conference  commenced  at  John  Cronise's,  with 
singing  and  prayer  by  Father  Boehm.  Otterbein  ad- 
dressed the  brethren  in  his  usual  manner." 

The  entire  minutes  of  this  session  are  here  given,  as 
they  appear  in  a  liberal  translation.  It  will  be  observed 
that  the  secretary  has  acquired  a  better  idea  of  what 
conference  minutes  should  be,  and  they  are  recorded  at 
greater  length. 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  171 

Conference  met  at  the  house  of  John  Cronise,  Frederick  County, 
Maryland,  October  6,  1802.  The  following  members  were  present: 
William  Otterbein,  Martin  Boehm,  Christian  Newcomer,  John 
Hershey,  Christopher  Grosch,  Abraham  Draksel,  Henry  Cruni, 
Michael  Thomas,  Dietrich  Aurandt,  David  Snyder,  Peter  Kemp, 
Mathias  Kessler,  George  A.  Guething. 

Conference  was  opened  with  singing  and  prayer.  O  Lord,  let  thy 
kingdom  come,  and  thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven. 
Grant  to  thy  ministering  servants  grace  to  love  thee  above  all. 
Amen. 

The  preachers  present  were  examined  in  regard  to  their  character 
and  usefulness. 

Resolved,  To  give  to  Valentine  Huegel  license  to  exhort. 
Resolved,  To  write  to  Pfrimmer  that  for  the  present  we  will  have 
nothing  to  do  with  him. 

Brothers  Ludwig  Duckwald  and  William  Ambrose,  from  Sleepy 
Creek,  Virginia,  arrived  at  conference. 

Conference  met  October  7.  Sermon  preached  by  William  Otter- 
bein from  Heb.  13:  17.     Exhortation  by  M.  Boehm. 

Brother  John  Miller  obtained  license  from  the  conference  to  exhort. 
In  regard  to  the  keeping  of  a  register  of  the  names  of  the  private 
members,  it  was  found  that  out  of  twelve  votes  nine  were  against 
the  motioh.    So,  with  consent,  the  matter  was  dropped. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  preachers  to  keep  up  prayer-meetings  at 
their  appointments,  wherever  it  is  possible. 

Permission  was  given  to  Ludwig  Duckwald  to  baptize  and  ad- 
minister the  Lord's  supper,  according  to  the  Word  of  God. 

Some  proposals  were  made  in  regard  to  the  collecting  of  a  certain 
sum  of  money  for  our  poor  preachers. 

Resolved,  That  if  any  of  our  preachers  shall  do  anything  wrong, 
it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  preacher  next  (or  nearest)  to  him  to  talk 
to  him  privately  in  relation  to  the  wrong.  If  he  does  not  listen  to 
him,  or  accept  his  advice,  he  shall  take  with  him  one  or  two  more 
preachers;  and  if  he  does  not  listen  to  them,  he  shall  be  silenced 
until  the  next  session  of  conference. 

Resolved,  That  G.  A.  Guething  shall,  next  spring  and  fall,  visit 
the  congregations  on  Frederick  Circuit. 

Resolved,  That  Christian  Newcomer  shall  visit  Cumberland 
Circuit  twice  during  next  year. 

Resolved,   That  Martin  Boehm  shall  travel  twice  through  Penn- 
sylvania, to  the  Susquehanna,  to  ascertain  the  state  of  the  Church. 
Jacob  Baulus  and   Valentine  Baulus    were    appointed   to    make 
visits   from   house   to  house  through   Middletown,  Fredericktown, 
imd  so  forth. 


172  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Resolved^  That  iu  case  one  of  our  superintendents— W.  Otterbein 
and  Martin  Boehm  — should  die,  another  one  in  his  place  shall 
always  be  appointed.  This  is  the  wish  of  these  two  brethren,  and 
the  unanimous  wish  of  all  the  preachers  present. 

Ludwig  Duckwald  and  John  Neidig  received  permission  to  ad- 
minister all  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God. 

Bishop  Otterbein  closed  this  conference  with  an  address 
and  prayer.  Newcomer,  in  his  Journal,  thus  refers  to  the 
address:  "He  exhorted  us  particularly  to  be  careful  and 
preach  no  other  doctrine  than  what  is  plainly  laid  down 
in  the  Bible;  that  nothing  less  than  a  new  creature  in 
Christ  Jesus  will  be  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  that 
we  should  be  ardently  and  diligently  engaged  in  the  work 
of  the  Lord  ;  and,  lastly,  that  w^e  should  love  one  another, 
and  for  Jesus'  sake  to  suffer  and  endure  all  things.  He 
then  dismissed  the  conference  with  a  powerful  prayer." 

Recurring  again  to  the  minutes,  the  reader  will  notice 
an  apparently  harsh  judgment  pronounced  in  the  case 
of  so  efficient  a  man  as  J.  G.  Pfrimmer.  The  basis  of 
this  action  was  the  kind  of  double  attitude  of  ]\Ir. 
Pfrimmer  for  a  time  with  respect  to  the  United  Brethren 
and  the  Reformed  Church,  that  from  which  he  came. 
Like  Bishop  Otterbein  himself,  but  probably  with  less 
wisdom  in  his  deportment,  he  retained  in  a  degree  his 
attachment  to  the  church  of  his  fathers.  From  some 
cause  not  made  quite  clear,  the  United  Brethren  confer- 
ence for  a  time  withdrew  its  fellowship  from  him.  At 
the  session  of  1805  this  action  was  withdrawn,  probably 
upon  satisfactory  explanation  made  by  Mr.  Pfrimmer,  and 
he  was  restored  to  the  full  confidence  and  regard  of  his 
brethren  and  to  his  privileges  as  a  minister  in  the  Church. 

It  will  also  be  noticed  as  a  fact  somewhat  singular  that 
the  conference  should  have  declined,  by  a  three-fourths 
majority,  to  make  any  register  of  the  names  of  the  lay 
members  of  the  Church.     This  attitude  seems  to  indicate 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  173 

a  predominating  Mennonite  influence  in  the  early  Church, 
since  the  Reformed  Church  has  always  been  careful  to 
preserve  the  records  not  only  of  names,  but  of  births 
and  baptisms  as  well.  This  adverse  feeling  to  such 
records  seems  to  have  been  founded  on  the  account  of 
the  sin  of  David  in  numbering  Israel.  In  their  extreme 
humility  the  Mennonite  brethren  were  not  willing  to 
do  anything  that  might  wear  the  appearance  of  display. 
It  was  not,  indeed,  until  many  years  after  this  that  even 
an  approach  toward  an  accurate  census  of  the  Church  was 
attempted. 

It  will  also  be  observed  that  "permission"  was  given 
to  administer  the  ordinances,  while  nothing  is  said  of  the 
ordination  of  ministers.  Up  to  this  time,  and  until  some 
years  later,  the  rite  of  ordination  was  not  administered, 
though  Mr.  Otterbein  himself  had  been  regularly  ordained 
in  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germany.  The  ordinances 
therefore  were  administered,  not  by  an  unauthorized,  but 
by  an  unordained  ministry.  In  the  early  Methodist  Church 
in  America  serious  trouble  had  been  for  a  time  occasioned 
with  respect  to  the  administration  of  the  ordinances, 
through  the  lack  of  a  properly  authorized  ministry,  until 
Mr.  Wesley  took  it  upon  himself  to  ordain  Dr.  Coke,  and 
send  him  to  America  to  properly  organize  the  churcli 
and  ordain  its  ministers.  ^  The  reader  will  further  notice 
that  license  to  exhort  was  given  by  the  annual  conference, 
that  function  being  then  exercised  by  the  higher  body, 
though  quarterly  conferences  are  frequently  referred  to  by 
Mr.  Newcomer.  A  further  study  of  the  minutes  will  also 
suggest  that  the  itinerant  work  was  beginning  to  be  re- 
duced to  more  systematic  form,  thus  beginning  to  displace 
the  earlier  method  of  each  man  forming  a  kind  of  circuit 

^History  of  the  Methodist  Ex)isco2ml  CJiurch,  by  Nathan  Bangs,  D.D.,  Vol.  II., 
pp.  154,  155. 


174  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

most  convenient  to  his  own  home,  or  going  out  to  preach 
as  inchnation  might  lead. 

III.       THE    CONFERENCES    OF    1803    AND    1804. 

Of  the  Conference  of  1803  Mr.  Newcomer  says:  "Octo- 
iQer  4th — We  arrived  at  David  Snyder's,  where  the 
conference  is  to  be  held.  Father  Otterbein  had  arrived 
before  us.  5th — This  day  the  session  of  the  conference 
commenced.  The  preachers  present  were  all  examined, 
and  their  character  and  usefulness  particularly  inquired 
into.  Many  tears  were  shed  on  the  occasion.  Brother 
Grosch  preached  at  night.  ...  I  exhorted  after  him. 
6th — This  forenoon  Father  Otterbein  gave  us  as  usual  a 
very  powerful  and  interesting  discourse.  Father  Boehm 
followed  him.  In  the  afternoon  the  session  of  the  con- 
ference was  continued.  At  night  Brother  Christian  Berger 
addressed  the  congregation."  This  conference  was  closed 
on  the  7th. 

The  Conference  of  1804  was  to  be  held  at  David 
Snyder's,  but  was  adjourned,  after  a  partial  transaction 
of  business,  to  the  following  spring,  on  account  of  a  fatal 
fever  very  generally  prevalent.  Only  five  ministers  were 
present,  namely,  Bishop  Boehm,  SchafFer,  Mayer,  Borts- 
field,  and  Newcomer.  The  session  was  opened  in  due 
form,  and  the  letters  sent  to  the  conference  were  read. 
No  more  of  the  ministers  arriving,  an  adjournment  was 
made  to  the  Wednesday  preceding  the  Whitsuntide  of 
1805,  the  conference  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Jacob 
Baulus,  near  Middletown,  Maryland. 

At  this  session  the  election  of  bishops  should  have 
occurred,  but  was  postponed  on  account  of  the  smallness 
of  the  number  present.  While  there  is  no  record  of  any 
action  providing  that  the  elections  should  occur  quad- 
rennially, it  is  sufficiently  plain  that  such  was  the  thought 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  175 

of  the  preachers  with  regard  to  it.  And  since  so  much 
of  what  was  done  is  left  unrecorded  in  the  minutes,  as 
the  election  of  bishops  and  the  adoption  of  the  name  of 
the  Church  by  the  Conference  of  1800,  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  action  may  have  been  taken  on  the  subject  of 
elections  without  finding  its  way  into  the  record.  Such 
action  may,  indeed,  have  been  taken  when  the  first 
election  was  made. 

IV.       THE    CONFERENCE    OP    1805. 

The  Conference  of  1805  possesses  interest  chiefly  on 
account  of  the  second  election  of  bishops  for  the  Church. 
It  was  held,  as  provided  for  by  the  previous  adjournment, 
at  the  house  of  Jacob  Baulus,  commencing  on  May  29. 
Mr.  Newcomer,  in  his  Journal,  has  this  minute:  "29th — 
To-day  our  annual  conference  commenced  at  Brother  Jacob 
Baulus's.  Twenty-one  preachers  were  present.  Father 
Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm  were  elected  presidents."^ 

The  ministers  present  at  this  conference  w^ere :  W. 
Otterbein,  Martin  Boehm,  John  Hershey,  George  A.  Gue- 
thing,  Daniel  Strickler,  Frederick  Schafi'er,  Peter  Kemp, 
L.  Everhart,  David  Snyder,  Christian  Crum,  Frederick 
Duckwald,  William  Ambrose,  Jacob  Baulus,  Jacob  Geis- 
inger,  Christian  Berger,  Abraham  Mayer,  Christian  New- 
comer, and  George  Benedum.  The  list  contains  eighteen 
names,  lacking  three  of  the  number  as  stated  by  Mr. 
Newcomer. 

The  following  are  the  complete  minutes  of  this  conference  : 

Conference  was  opened  by  prayer  and  an  exhortation  by  Brother 
Otterbein. 

The  preachers  resolved  to  engage  in  the  work  of  tlie  Lord  with 
more  earnestness  than  ever  before,  by  the  assisting  grace  of  God. 
O  Lord,  help  thou  us,  thy  poor  and  unworthy  servants,  for  thine 
own  sake.    Amen. 

1  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  134. 


176  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  preachers  were  duly  examined  in  regard  to  their  moral  and 
ministerial  character. 

Brother  Pfrimmer  again  received  permission  to  preach  the  gospel 
among  us. 

The  following  brethren  arrived  at  the  close  of  the  session  to-day  : 
Ludwig  Duckwald,  Daniel  Troyer,  and  Jacob  Dehoft. 

Conference  met  May  30,  at  8  A.M.,  and  was  opened  by  the  reading 
of  a  chapter  and  prayer. 

Brother  Newcomer  agreed  to  travel  the  following  year  through 
Maryland  and  a  certain  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Christian  Crum 
agreed  to  travel  through  Virginia.  Resolved  that  each  shall  receive 
forty  livres  [less  than  eight  dollars]  for  his  labors  per  annum. 

Resolved,  That  George  A.  Guething  shall  be  present  at  the 
appointed  great  meetings  Igrosse  Versammlungeii]  in  Maiyland, 
and  on  this  side  of  the  Susquehanna  in  Pennsj-lvania. 

It  was  recommended  that  Brother  Guething  should  not  reside  in 
Hagerstown,  and  that  Hagerstown  should  be  regularly  visited  by  our 
preachers. 

Resolved,  That  the  preachers  that  preach  only  where  they  like 
shall  receive  no  compensation  for  their  services,  and  that  it  shall  be 
their  duty  to  pay  over  to  the  conference  the  money  that  they  may 
receive,  for  the  benefit  of  the  traveling  preachers. 

Permission  was  granted  by  this  conference  to  Brother  Frederick 
Duckwald,  from  Sleepy  Creek,  and  Brother  Christian  Berger,  from 
Westmoreland,  to  baptize,  administer  the  sacrament,  and  solemnize 
marriages. 

Resolved,  That  the  next  session  of  this  conference  shall  be  held  at 
the  house  of  Lorenz  Everhart,  on  Tuesday  before  Whitsunday,  1806, 
and  that  a  great  meeting  shall  be  held  there,  commencing  the  Satur- 
day following. 

The  session  of  conference  came  to  a  close  with  the  reading  of  a 

chapter  and  an  appropriate  exhortation. 

W.  Otterbein. 

Martin  Boehm.  * 

The  minutes,  it  will  be  observed,  are  again  silent  as 
to  the  election  of  the  bishops.  On  this  point,  however,  the 
note  in  Newcomer's  Journal  leaves  no  doubt.  His  words, 
"Father  Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm  were  elected  presi- 
dents,"-  have  already  been  quoted.     This  election  would 

1  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  pp.  283-285. 

'Newcomer  here  uses  the  term  "president"  in  preference  to  superintendent, 
or  bisTuyp.    He  uses  the  same  word  in  reference  to  himself  in  1813  and  1814. 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  177 

doubtless  have  occurred  in  1894  had  the  conference  been 
regularly  held. 

This  conference  became  a  memorable  one  to  the  brethren 
of  that  time  as  the  last  which  their  great  and  good  leader, 
Bishop  Otterbein,  ever  attended.^  Henceforth  his  words 
to  the  conference  must  be  conveyed  by  correspondence. 
He  was  yet  to  live  for  a  number  of  years,  but  the  in- 
firmities of  age  began  to  tell  on  him  to  such  extent  that 
he  could  no  longer  undertake  the  necessary  travel,  or 
venture  for  a  series  of  days  from  his  home.  While,  there- 
fore, his  gracious  spirit  was  still  with  the  preachers  in  their 
conferences,  his  benign  face  and  stately  presence  w^ere  not 
hereafter  to  be  seen  among  them.  He  was  now  in  the 
seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age.  By  his  side  in  this  session 
sat  that  other  venerable  leader,  the  devout  and  always 
benignant  Boehm,  a  little  the  senior  of  Otterbein,  now 
in  his  eightieth  year,  but  retaining  a  larger  share  of  vigor 
in  his  advanced  years.  It  was  an  interesting  spectacle  to 
behold  these  eminent  leaders,  ripe  alike  in  years,  wisdom, 
and  grace,  abundant  in  labors  and  the  rich  fruits  of  the 
gospel,  presiding  with  fatherly  affection  over  the  devoted 
company  of  followers  who  had  gathered  about  them. 
Forty  years  had  passed  since  they  first  met,  at  the  meeting 
in  Isaac  Long's  barn,  and  recognized  in  each  other 
chosen  vessels  of  God  for  bearing  to  men  the  gospel  of 
living  spiritual  experience.  During  every  year  since,  they 
had  met,  either  in  the  great  meetings,  or  in  conference 
sessions,  to  take  counsel  together  over  the  great  work  in 
which  the  Lord  had  enlisted  their  hearts.  Their  counsels 
throughout  had  been  characterized  by  a  beautiful  harmony. 
Mutual  concessions  as  to  modes  of  worship  and  practice 
had  been  made  in  a  brotherly  spirit,  and  no  ripple  of 
discord  had  through  this  long  period  disturbed  the  perfect 

*See  Spayth's  History,  p.  105. 
12 


178  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

harmony  of  their  relations.  And  now  at  this  last  con- 
ference at  which  both  were  present,  their  joersonal  example 
of  unselfish  Christian  fellowship  made  a  strong  appeal  to 
their  followers  to  preserve  the  same  spirit  which  was  so 
beautifully  expressed  in  the  name  which  they  adopted — 
United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

V.       THE    CONFERENCES    OF    1806-1810. 

A  more  rapid  reference  to  several  succeeding  conferences 
must  be  sufficient.  The  session  of  1806,  commencing  May 
21  and  closing  on  the  24th,  w^as  held  at  Everhart's,  in 
Frederick  County,  Maryland.  At  this  conference  the  ques- 
tion was  asked,  "Are  all  the  preachers  united  in  love?" 
The  answer  is  a  notable  one:  "We  are  not  only  united 
among  ourselves,  but  we  also  love  all  our  fellow-men, 
whoever  they  may  be."  The  name  of  Joseph  Hoffman, 
one  of  the  three  later  ordained  by  Bishop  Otterbein,  and 
afterwards  Bishop  Hoffman,  appears  for  the  first  time  in 
the  minutes  of  this  session.  Plans  of  work  for  the  year 
were  arranged,  including  a  number  of  great  meetings. 

The  Conference  of  1807  met  at  Christian  Herr's,  in 
Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  Bishop  Martin  Boehm 
again  presiding.  A  short  and  harmonious  session  was 
held.  Plans  for  work  were  again  arranged,  and  Isaac 
Niswander  and  Abraham  Mayer  were  authorized  to 
administer  the  ordinances. 

The  Conference  of  1808  was  held  at  Abraham  Nis- 
wander's,  in  Virginia,  commencing  on  May  25.  After 
the  usual  examination  of  the  moral  and  official  charac- 
ter of  the  preachers,  the  conference  considered  the  method 
of  advancing  men  to  the  ministry.  Reference  has  already 
been  made  to  the  annual  conference's  granting  license 
to  exhort.  This  preliminary  was  now  referred  to  the 
ministers    assembled    at   great   meetings.     The   resolution 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  179 

which   was   adopted    contains   the   germ   of   all   the   later 
practice  of  the  Church  on  this  subject : 

Resolved^  That  those  who  desire  to  receive  license  to  preach  among 
us  shall  be  examined  at  a  great  meeting  ;  and,  if  favorably  reported, 
two  of  the  elders  shall  grant  them  license  for  one  year,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  they  shall  appear  at  the  conference  for  examina- 
tion. In  case  they  cannot  appear  at  the  conference,  their  license 
may  be  renewed  at  a  great  meeting. 

At  this  conference  the  name  of  George  Hoffman  appears 
for  the  first  time.  Some  of  the  names  of  ministers  are 
missed  for  successive  sessions  from  the  list  of  those  present 
at  the  conferences.  This  was  frequently  occasioned  by 
the  long  distances  to  be  traveled  over,  as  in  the  case  of 
Christian  Berger,  who,  with  others,  was  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  the  Church  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  in  West- 
moreland and  adjoining  counties,  and  across  the  State 
line  in  Ohio. 

The  Conference  of  1809  was  again  held  at  Christian 
Herr's,  commencing  on  May  10.  Bishop  Boehm  presided. 
Newcomer,  Guething,  and  Joseph  Hoffman  were  among 
those  present.  The  subject  of  a  closer  cooperation  with 
the  English  brethren,  that  is,  the  Methodists,  received 
much  attention  at  this  session. 

The  Conference  of  1810  was  held  in  Frederick  County, 
Maryland,  at  the  house  of  John  Cronise,  commencing  on 
June  6.  Sixteen  preachers  were  in  attendance.  Letters 
from  Bishop  Otterbein  and  others  were  read.  The  subject 
of  a  closer  union  with  the  Methodist  Church  was  again 
considered,  the  question  coming  up  in  a  memorial  on  the 
subject  sent  by  Bishop  Otterbein's  church  in  Baltimore. 
A  letter  was  also  received  from  the  Methodist  conference 
relating  to  the  same  subject,  and  was  answered  in  a 
fraternal  spirit.  The  more  careful  supervision  of  tlie 
general  work  received  attention,  and   provision  was  made 


180  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

requiring  the  older  preachers  to  visit  all  the  appointments 
on  the  different  charges  twice  during  the  year  if  possible. 
In  this  supervision  of  the  work  by  the  more  experienced 
preachers  we  have  the  foreshadowing  of  the  regular  pre- 
siding-eldership  which  w^as  later  provided  for.  The 
itinerant  system  w^as  in  a  formative  state.  But  few^  of 
the  preachers  wxre  as  yet  unreserved  itinerants.  Nearly 
all  were  engaged  in  other  occupations,  but  devoted  much 
time  to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  generally  in  the 
regions  nearest  their  homes,  but  often  making  long  jour-, 
neys  to  encourage  the  w^ork  already  established,  or  to 
push  forw^ard  the  outposts  into  territory  not  yet  occupied. 

VI.       ORGANIZATION    OF    MIAMI    ANNUAL    CONFERENCE. 

The  year  1810  was  especially  emphasized  in  the  pro- 
gressive history  of  the  Church  by  the  organization  of  a 
second  conference.  The  tide  of  emigration  had  been 
carrying  large  numbers  of  people  w^estward  into  the  new^ 
State  of  Ohio,  wdiich,  in  1802,  had  been  admitted  into 
the  Union.  Among  these  were  a  number  of  United 
Brethren  families,  and  soon  United  Brethren  ministers 
appeared  among  them  to  look  after  the  spiritual  interests 
of  the  scattered  sheep,  and  to  gather  others  into  the  fold. 
The  settlements  of  these  families  w^ere  mostly  in  the 
middle,  southern,  and  southwestern  parts  of  the  State, 
the  latter  in  the  ^Miami  Valley,  at  Germantown  and  other 
points  near  Dayton.  The  distance  w\as  too  great  for  these 
ministers  to  attend  the  conference  in  the  East,  and  the 
Miami  Conference  w^as  accordingly  organized.  More  will 
be  said  of  this  in  an  appropriate  place  farther  on. 

VII.       THE    EASTERN    CONFERENCE SESSIONS    OF    1811-1814. 

The  Eastern  Conference  of  1811  met  on  May  23,  in 
Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  wath  twenty  ministers 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  181 

in  attendance.  Letters  from  a  number  of  absent  ministers 
were  read.  The  question  of  compensation  received  atten- 
tion at  tliis  session,  the  salary  for  an  unmarried  man  being 
fixed  at  eighty  dollars  a  year. 

At  the  session  of  1812,  convened  at  Antietam  on  May 
13,  there  were  twenty -two  ministers  present.  The  list  of 
these  is  as  follows:  Christian  Newcomer,  Christian  Crum, 
George  A.  Guething,  Abraham  Draksel,  Abraham  Mayer, 
Joseph  Hoffman,  Christian  Smith,  Isaac  Niswander,  David 
Snyder,  Valentine  Baulus,  Jacob  Baulus,  Abraham  Hershey, 
Lorenz  Everhart,  Michael  Thomas,  Jacob  Weidner,  Chris- 
tian Berger,  Henry  Hiestand,  Henry  G.  Spayth,  George 
Guething,  Martin  Crider,  John  Crider,  and  Jacob  DehofF. 
The  names  of  the  venerable  leaders.  Bishops  Otterbein 
and  Boehm,  have  now  disappeared  finally  from  the  list  of 
those  in  attendance,  and  Guething  is  present  for  the  last 
time.  Boehm  has  been  transferred  to  the  church  triumph- 
ant, and  Otterbein,  feeble  in  body  from  great  age,  is 
waiting  for  the  call  of  the  Master.  The  burden  of  respon- 
sibility is  being  shifted  to  other  shoulders,  which  the 
Lord  has  been  preparing  to  receive  it. 

Appended  to  the  minutes  of  this  session  of  the  confer- 
ence is  a  complete  list  of  the  ministers  in  the  denomi- 
nation who  were  authorized  to  administer  the  ordinances. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  these  men,  excepting  Otterbein 
himself,  were  unordained,  the  Bishop,  as  heretofore  stated, 
not  ordaining  any  of  his  followers  until  in  his  closing 
days.  Those  so  authorized  were  twenty-six  in  number,  as 
follows :  William  Otterbein,  Martin  Boehm,  George  A. 
Guething,  Christian  Newcomer,  Christian  Crum,  John 
Hershey,  Christopher  Grosch,  Abraham  Draksel,  Ludwig 
Duckwald,  John  Neidig,  David  Long,  Abraham  Hershey, 
Christian  Hershey,  Abraham  Mayer,  William  Ambrose, 
Isaac   Niswander,  Daniel   Troyer,  George  Benedum,  Peter 


182  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Kemp,  Adam  Kiegel,  Frederick  ScliafFer,  Joseph  Hoff- 
man, David  Gingerich,  Christian  Berger,  David  Snyder, 
and  Christian  Smith.  AUhough  the  name  of  Bishop 
Boehm  appears  in  the  Hst,  his  death  had  occurred  in 
March  previous  to  the  sitting  of  this  conference. 

It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  a  conference  secretary 
in  those  earUer  days  to  begin  his  record  with  a  fervent 
invocation,  or  to  close  with  a  similar  earnest  prayer,  thus 
indicating  the  devout  spirit  w^hich  prevailed  among  the 
brethren  in  their  annual  assembling.  In  the  present 
instance  the  secretary  closes  his  minutes,  written  out  at 
considerable  length,  with  these  words :  "  0  Lord  God 
Almighty,  bless  thy  work  ;  grant  thy  Holy  Spirit  to  all 
thy  servants  who  preach  thy  truth  ;  fill  them  with  pure 
love,  with  zeal  and  wisdom ;  may  they  walk  uprightly 
before  thee,  and  honor  thee  in  all  their  ways." 

The  session  of  1813  was  held  at  the  house  of  Christian 
Herr,  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania.  There  being 
no  bishop  present,  Christopher  Grosch  was  chosen  chair- 
man. Eighteen  ministers  were  present,  and  four  received 
license  to  exhort.  An  address  from  the  Baltimore  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  signed  by 
Bishop  Asbury,  was  received  with  much  satisfaction,  and 
it  was  ordered  that  Newcomer  and  Baulus  convey  a  similar 
address  to  the  next  session  of  that  conference,  "in  order 
to  more  and  more  effect  a  union  between  the  two  churches." 
By  the  union  thus  proposed  was  meant  close  friendly  coop- 
eration, rather  than  organic  consolidation.  A  committee 
consisting  of  Newcomer,  Christian  Crum,  Joseph  Hoffman, 
and  J.  Baulus,  was  appointed  to  confer  with  a  similar 
committee  from  the  Albright  Church  (Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation), concerning  a  plan  of  union  between  the  two 
churches.  This  proposition  meant  more  than  simply 
friendly  cooperation.     Both  churches   using   at  that  time 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  183 

only  the  German  language,  and  doctrine  and  general  polity 
being  so  nearly  identical,  it  was  thought  by  many  that  an 
organic  union  might  be  effected  to  mutual  advantage. 

Bishop  Boehm  having  died,  Christian  Newcomer  was 
elected  bishop  for  one  year.  This  was  the  last  session  of 
the  conference  at  which  the  beloved  Guething  was  present, 
his  death  occurring  in  June,  only  a  few  weeks  after  the 
adjournment. 

The  conference  convened  in  1814  on  May  24,  at  Hagers- 
town,  Maryland.  Twenty-one  ministers  were  in  attendance. 
The  names  of  the  absent  ones  do  not  appear  in  the  minutes, 
but,  owing  to  the  long  distances  which  they  had  to  travel, 
portions  of  the  three  States  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland, 
and  Virginia  being  included,  it  is  probable  that  at  least 
as  many  were  absent  as  present,  so  that  the  number  of 
preachers  now  may  have  been  above  forty.  Six  new 
names  were  here  added  to  the  list,  among  them  that  of 
Henry  Kumler,  Sen.  Letters  were  read  from  Abraham 
Draksel  and  Christian  Berger,  both  of  whom  were  at  that 
time  laboring  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania.  A 
fraternal  letter  from  the  Baltimore  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  also  read.  The  letter 
expressed  gratification  with  the  amicable  relations  existing 
between  the  Methodist  and  United  Brethren  churches,  and 
a  desire  for  their  continuance. 

The  Otterbein  Church  in  Baltimore  having  been  tem- 
porarily supplied  by  Mr.  SchafFer  since  the  death  of  Bishop 
Otterbein,  the  congregation  sent  a  request  that  the  con- 
ference appoint  for  them  a  minister.  As  this  congregation 
from  its  first  organization  held  an  independent  position, 
its  relation  to  the  conference,  while  it  was  in  thorough 
harmony  with  the  United  Brethren  movement,  was  some- 
what different  from  that  of  other  congregations.  A  com- 
mittee   consisting   of  Neidig,    Snyder,    Baulus,    and    New- 


184  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

comer,  was  appointed  to  consider  the  request  and  make 
all  proper  arrangements.  The  committee  appointed  Joseph 
Hoffman,  later  Bishop  Hoffman,  for  one  year,  with  the 
understanding  that  if  acceptable  he  might  serve  the  con- 
gregation longer,  but  not  beyond  a  period  of  three  years. 
The  arrangement  proved  agreeable  to  the  church,  and 
at  the  end  of  three  years  another  minister  was  sent.  Fol- 
lowing the  agreement  thus  made,  the  pulpit  of  the  church 
has  been  since  supplied  by  the  United  Brethren  conferences. 

There  are  no  indications  that  any  changes  in  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  were  adopted  by  the  Conference  of  1814, 
the  Confession  ordered  printed  in  1813,  which  seems  to 
have  been  that  of  1789,  being  approved.  But  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  Rules  of  Discipline  were  in  some 
points  changed.  Christian  Newcomer  was  reelected  bishop 
for  a  period  of  three  years,  his  election  in  1813  having 
been  for  one  year. 

The  conference  session  seems  to  have  been  a  harmonious 
one,  and  the  secretary,  Jacob  Baulus,  closes  his  minutes 
with  the  fervent  prayer :  "  Lord  Jesus,  be  with  thy  serv- 
ants. Mold  them  after  thine  own  image.  Give  them 
godly  zeal  and  untiring  faithfulness.  Let  thy  virtues 
shine  in  them,  and  thy  light  shine  through  them.  And 
may  many  be  brought  to  light,  and  we  will  ascribe  all 
the  praise  to  God.     Amen." 

VIII.       THE    MIAMI    CONFEKENCE SESSIONS    OP    1810-1814. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  the  organization  of 
a  new  conference  in  the  West,  the  second  of  the  Church 
in  the  historic  order.  The  initial  session  was  held  on 
August  13,  1810,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  at  Michael 
Crider's,  in  Ross  County,  Ohio.  That  there  was  now 
a  considerable  number  of  United  Brethren  west  of  the 
Alleghany    Mountains,   is    suggested    by   the   fact   that    at 


THE  CONFERENCES  OF  1801-1814  185 

this  meeting  there  were  present  thirteen  preachers  and  two 
exhorters.  Among  these  was  Christian  Newcomer,  not  yet 
then  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop,  but  making  a  tour  of 
supervision  to  the  scattered  churches  of  what  was  then 
called  the  AVest.  Bishops  Otterbein  and  Boehm  being 
now  very  old  and  unable  to  attend  to  episcopal  duties, 
especially  in  so  distant  a  field,  the  care  of  the  superin- 
ten\iency  was  gradually  laid  upon  others,  and  chiefly 
upon  Mr.  Newcomer. 

At  this  first  session  of  the  conference  but  little  business 
was  transacted  beyond  simple  organization.  The  session 
was  opened,  however,  in  the  usual  regular  form,  with  the 
reading  of  the  third  chapter  of  I.  John,  singing,  and 
prayer.  Then  followed  a  very  fervent  experience  meeting, 
in  which  all  the  ministers  participated.  In  this  meeting 
all  covenanted  together  to  assist  one  another  in  promoting 
the  common  work. 

The  preachers  present  at  this  conference  were  :  Christian 
Newcomer,  George  Benedum,  John  Froshauer,  Daniel 
Troyer,  Andrew  Zeller,  Jacob  Zeller,  Henry  Evinger, 
Christian  Crum,  Abraham  Hiestand,  Michael  Crider, 
Thomas  Winters,  Ludwig  Kramer,  Henry  Hiestand  ;  the 
exhorters,  Frederick  Klinger  and  John  Pontius. 

The  second  session  of  the  Miami  Conference,  that  of  1811, 
was  held  on  August  23  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio.  Thir- 
teen preachers  w^ere  present  at  this  conference.  After  the 
opening  exercises,  Mr.  Newcomer,  who  again  presided, 
preached  an  appropriate  sermon.  Then  followed  the  ex- 
perience meeting  usual  at  all  the  conferences  of  those 
times.  On  the  second  day  the  examination  of  the  moral 
and  official  character  of  the  ministers  was  held.  Ludwig 
Kramer  and  Jacob  Zeller  offered  themselves  as  unre- 
served itinerants,  and  the  conference  accepted  them.  John 
Pontius,  John  Bowser,  Dewalt  Mechlin,  and  Jacob  Lehman 


186  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

were  licensed  to  preach.  George  Benedum  was  elected 
presiding  elder.  The  conference  was  closed  with  a  fervent 
address  by  Mr.  Newcomer.  Such  are  a  few  of  the  points 
in  the  transactions  of  these  early  conference  sessions. 

The  sessions  of  1812,  1813,  and  1814  were  each  held 
in  due  form,  the  first  at  Andrew  Zeller's  in  Montgomery 
County,  on  August  6;  the  second  at  the  house  of  Peter 
Seitz,  in  Fairfield  County,  on  August  26  ;  and  the  third 
again  at  Andrew  Zeller's,  on  August  23.  Bishop  New- 
comer presided  at  each  of  these  conferences — at  the 
sessions  of  1813   and   1814  as  a  fully  authorized  bishop. 

At  the  session  of  1813  an  important  question  relating 
to  the  proper  mode  of  ordaining  ministers  was  considered. 
Regret  was  expressed  that  too  little  order  had  been  ob- 
served both  in  receiving  and  ordaining  preachers.  A 
resolution  was  adopted  requesting  Father  Otterbein  to 
ordain  one  or  more  preachers. 

At  the  session  of  1814  important  steps  were  taken  pre- 
paratory to  holding  a  General  Conference.  The  conference 
arranged  the  plan  of  representation  which  was  afterward 
carried  out. 


CHAPTER  XI 

FRIENDLY  CORRESPONDENCE 
I.      WITH    THE    METHODIST   EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

We  have  already  seen  that  between  Bishop  Otterbein, 
the  founder  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  Bishop 
Asbury,  the  first  great  leader  of  the  American  Methodist 
movement,  there  existed  permanently  the  strongest  bonds 
of  fraternal  and  Christian  fellowship.  This  feeling  of 
brotherly  regard  was  widespread  among  their  followers  as 
well.  In  those  earlier  years  the  preachers  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church  preached  almost  exclusively  in  the  Ger- 
man language,  while  the  Methodist  preachers  used,  with 
the  rarest  exceptions,  only  the  English.  There  was  there- 
fore but  slight  occasion  for  clashing,  or  for  the  springing  up 
of  jealousies,  although  they  occupied  the  same  field.  The 
preaching  places  of  the  two  churches  were  open  for  the 
freest  use  by  the  ministers  of  each,  and  revival  meetings 
were  frequently  held  by  United  Brethren  and  Methodist 
ministers  together.  Of  the  converts,  those  speaking  only 
the  German  language  were  usually  gathered  into  the 
United  Brethren  fold,  while  those  who  spoke  the  English 
only  almost  uniformly  united  with  the  Methodist  Church. 
Visits  were  frequently  made  by  the  ministers  of  one  church 
to  the  annual  conference  sessions  of  the  other,  and  there 
was  a  general  feeling  that  the  work  they  were  doing  was 
one  work  for  a  common  Master. 

This  generous  feeling  and  practice,  which  had  become 
an   unwritten    law   between   the   two    churches,   led   to   a 

187 


188  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

friendly  official  correspondence,  commencing  in  1809,  and 
extending  through  several  years.  The  correspondence  was 
conducted  in  part  by  letters,  and  in  part  by  regularly 
appointed  delegates,  the  object  being  to  cement  still  more 
closely  in  the  bonds  of  Christian  fellowship  the  two  de- 
nominations. The  leading  men  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
with  Bishop  Asbury,  were  strongly  committed  to  this 
fraternal  attitude,  as  were  also  those  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  Among  the  latter  none  were  more  deeply  en- 
listed in  the  cause  of  this  Christian  union  than  Bishop 
Newcomer,  both  before  and  after  his  election  to  the 
office  of  superintendent,  and  no  other  was  perhaps  quite  so 
deeply  disappointed  as  he  when,  after  the  death  of  Bishop 
Asbury,  in  1816,  some  in  high  official  position  among  the 
Methodist  brethren  began  to  withdraw  from  the  friendly 
compact  which  had  been  entered  into. 

As  Mr.  Spayth  was  at  this  time  a  member  of  the  United 
Brethren  conference,  it  w^ill  be  quite  in  place  to  repeat 
here  his  own  record  of  this  section  of  early  history.  He 
says : 

"In  the  year  1809  commenced  a  friendly  correspondence 
between  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and  our  Church. 
For  this  purpose  Brother  Christian  Newcomer  attended 
the  annual  conference  for  the  Baltimore  District,  which 
was  held  in  Harrisonburg,  Virginia.  That  conference 
appointed  a  committee  of  five  elders  to  confer  with 
Brother  Newcomer  on  a  plan  of  union.  That  committee 
made  a  favorable  report,  and  the  conference  resolved  to 
send  a  friendly  letter  by  Brother  Newcomer,  to  be  deliv- 
ered to  Father  Otterbein  ;  also  resolved  to  send  a  messenger 
to  lay  their  report  before  our  next  annual  conference, 
which  was  done.  Upon  the  reception  of  this  report,  a  letter 
of  amity  and  reciprocal  friendship  was  sent  from  the  Breth- 
ren  conference,   through    their   messenger,    to   the   annual 


FRIENDLY    CORRESPONDENCE  189 

conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  which  met 
in  Baltimore  in  1810.  This  conference  resolved  to  con- 
tinue the  friendly  correspondence  and  settle  on  a  plan  of 
harmonizing  in  some  respects  with  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ. 

"This  treaty,  if  we  may  so  call  it,  of  amity  and  friend- 
ship rested  on  the  conviction  founded  in  Scripture  and 
Christian  experience  that  a  Christian  people  who  had  all 
the  essential  and  important  elements  of  our  holy  religion, 
in  doctrine,  in  faith,  experience,  and  practice,  in  connection 
with  a  living  and  itinerant  ministry  among  them,  and 
who  occupied  the  relations  of  co-workers,  .  .  .  should  have 
some  bond  of  union,  some  fraternal  relations,  more  than 
had  hitherto  been  exhibited  and  cherished  by  the  great 
family  of  Protestant  churches,  and  in  the  observance  of 
which  they  might  find  a  cause  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
those  delightful  acts  of  brotherly  kindness,  and  in  the 
interchanges  in  public  worship,  as  well  as  in  the  social 
and  more  endearing  enjoyments  of  prayer-,  class-,  and 
love-feast-meetings. 

"February  24,  1812,  Brother  Newcomer  met  Bishop 
Asbury  in  Leesburg,  Virginia.  There  the  Bishop  invited 
Brother  Newcomer  to  attend  the  Philadelphia  Conference 
in  April,  in  order  to  assist  in  effecting  a  link  of  union  and 
brotherly  fellowship  within  the  bounds  of  that  conference. 
Brother  Newcomer  attended  accordingly ;  and  the  con- 
ference appointed  Thomas  Ware,  Bouring,  and  Fox  to 
confer  with  him.  The  conference  also  resolved  that  they 
would  act  and  go  as  far  in  this  matter  as  the  Baltimore 
Conference  had  done,  and  to  signify  the  same  they  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  the  conference  of  the  United  Brethren, 
with  a  second  resolve  to  send  two  messengers  to  consult 
more  fully  on  this  subject  with  our  annual  conference. 

"The  points  in  this  agreement  were    but    few,   leaving 


190  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

each  church  entire  and  distinct,  as  they  had  been  previous 
to  this  arrangement.  The  first  was,  that  the  meeting- 
houses on  each  side  should  be  open,  when  not  occupied 
by  themselves;  secondly,  that  the  members  in  and  from 
each  church  should  be  admitted  into  the  class-meetings, 
prayer-meetings,  and  love-feast  meetings  at  all  times  when 
they  should  present  themselves  for  admission."^ 

In  earlier  pages  of  his  history  Mr.  Spayth  refers  to 
the  advent  of  Mr.  Asbury,  then  still  an  unordained  lay 
preacher,  and  his  brethren,  the  Methodist  preachers,  to 
the  regions  occupied  by  the  United  Brethren,  and  to  the 
strong  fraternal  feeling  which  sprang  up  between  the  min- 
isters and  people  of  the  two  churches.  His  record  of  this 
gives  an  interesting  picture  of  the  conditions  which  pre- 
vailed.    A  part  of  his  account  is  thus  condensed  : 

About  the  time  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution  there  were 
numerous  societies  of  Brethren  in  the  German  settlements 
of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia.  In  most,  if  nob 
in  all,  those  places,  the  Brethren  preachers  preceded  by 
some  years  the  advent  of  the  Methodist  preachers.  When 
the  latter  pushed  their  way  into  the  German  towns  and 
neighborhoods,  the  Brethren  received  them  gladly  into 
their  houses,  affording  them  every  opportunity  to  preach 
the  gospel  in  the  English  language;  for,  while  many 
of  them  could  not  understand  the  tongue  they  spoke,  they 
could  understand  the  language  of  the  heart,  and  they 
perceived  that  they  preached  a  living  gospel,  a  heart-felt 
religion,  the  same  as  their  own,  and  that  God  was  with 
them.  And  when  souls  were  converted  under  their 
ministry  they  rejoiced  greatly,  and  called  them  their 
brethren  in  the  Lord.  And  these  English  ministers,  called 
Methodists,  found  in  the  United  Brethren  the  same  spirit 
of  grace,  and  of  truth   and  love.     Hence   they   were  to- 

iSpayth's  Hutory,  pp.  113-115. 


FRIENDLY    CORRESPONDENCE  191 

gether  in  mutual  friendship  and  confidence,  a  friendship 
which,  through  their  united  labors,  resulted  in  much 
spiritual  advantage,  in  many  seasons  of  gracious  refreshing 
through  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  God  upon  the 
hearts  of  the  people,  and  the  conversion  of  many  souls. 
Wesley's  rules,  as  far  as  they  came  in  conflict  with  or 
would  for  a  moment  have  interrupted  or  marred  this 
perfect  joy,  were  either  suspended  or  held  subject  to  the 
higher  law  of  Christ.^ 

These  fraternal  relations  continued  for  a  series  of 
years,  until  after  the  death  of  Bishop  Asbury,  as  already 
observed,  every  door  to  every  form  of  service  inviting  the 
admission  of  English  and  German,  Methodist  and  United 
Brethren,  alike.  Mr.  Spayth  was  for  some  years  a  par- 
ticipant in  the  experiences  of  this  brotherly  fellowship, 
and  as  he  wrote  many  years  afterward,  when  well  advanced 
in  age,  his  heart  still  dwelt  fondly  upon  the  gracious  scenes. 
With  tender  pathos  we  hear  him  saying  : 

"  I  confess  it  is  hard  for  me  to  get  away  from  this  sunny 
spot.  The  love,  I  trust,  still  burns  within  my  breast.  I 
can  look  back  and  yet  see  the  smiles  and  cordial  shakes 
of  the  hand, — hands  now  cold  in  death,  while  mine 
writes  and  trembles, — the  hearty  and  joyous  welcome 
when  Methodists  and  United  Brethren  met.  Their  songs, 
their  voices,  their  shouts  of  Hallelujah,  Hallelujah,  con- 
tinue to  ring — ring  and  vibrate  in  my  nervous  system 
while  I  write,  and  thrill  my  soul  afresh.  Whenever  the 
mind  dwells  on  the  loveHness  of  those  past  scenes,  an 
angel  seems  to  whisper,  It  was  then  that 


'The  morning  stars  sang  together, 
And  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy  J 


"We  are  constrained  to  say: 

1  Spayth 's  History,  pp.  79-81. 


192  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

"'What  happy  hours  we  once  enjoyed, 
How  sweet  their  memory^  still.' 

*"Then  there  was  no  iniquity  in  Jacob, 
Nor  perverseness  in  Israel ; 
The  Lord  his  God  was  with  him, 
And  the  shout  of  a  King  was  among  them.' "  ^ 

In  the  years  1809  to  1814  a  series  of  official  letters,  now 
possessing  a  peculiar  historic  interest,  passed  between  the 
Methodist  and  United  Brethren  conferences.  The  corre- 
spondence is  well  worth  preserving,  and  may  be  found  in 
Spayth's  and  Lawrence's  histories. 

It  was  a  cause  for  profound  regret  to  the  United  Brethren, 
and  equally  so  to  many  Methodists,  that  the  fraternal  com- 
pact thus  formed  was  destined  so  soon  to  be  broken  after 
the  death  of  the  great-souled  Asbury.  An  influential  pre- 
siding elder  in  the  Methodist  Church,  Mr.  Spayth  relates, 
more  zealous  for  the  observance  of  Mr.  Wesley's  rule  than 
for  the  cultivation  of  mutual  Christian  love  between  diff'er- 
ent  denominations,  declared  that  he  would  no  longer  recog- 
nize the  terms  of  the  union.  The  preachers  under  his 
control  submitted  to  his  ruling,  and  the  doors  of  the  IMetho- 
dist  class-meeting  were  closed  against  United  Bretliren. 
Happily,  these  conditions  have  long  since  passed.  Mr.  Wes- 
ley's arbitrary  rule,  doubtless  a  wise  and  good  measure  when 
his  early  followers  in  England  were  subject  to  disturbance 
by  mobs  of  outlaws,  long  ago  became  a  dead  letter  in  the 
Methodist  Discipline  and  has  disappeared  from  its  pages. 

II.       WITH    THE    EVANGELICAL    ASSOCIATION. 

With  the  opening  years  of  the  present  century  the 
church  known  as  the  Evangehcal  Association,  at  first  as 
the  Albrights,  or  Albright's  People  {die  AlhrecMs  Leute), 
came   into   being.     Mr.    Albright,   the   founder,  born   and 

» Spayth's  History,  pp.  81,  82. 


FRIENDLY  CORRESPONDENCE  193 

baptized  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  connected 
himself,  upon  his  conversion,  with  the  Methodist  Church. 
^He  had  little  knowledge  of  the  English  language,  and 
his  early  ministry  was  directed  wholly  to  the  German- 
speaking  people  of  eastern  Pennsylvania.  If  Bishop 
Asbury  had  been  disposed  to  favor  a  German  ministry 
within  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  it  is  probable 
that  this  separate  body  of  German  Methodists  would  not 
have  been  formed.  The  original  conference,  in  adopting 
a  name,  at  its  session  of  1807,  called  itself  "The  Newly- 
Formed  Methodist  Conference."^  This  was  later,  when 
it  was  entirely  clear  that  the  organization  must  be  an 
independent  one,  exchanged  for  the  name  "The  Evan- 
gelical Association." 

The  type  of  this  new  body  of  Christians,  their  doctrinal 
teachings  and  polity,  their  insistence  upon  conversion  and 
a  godly  life,  the  spiritual  fervor  which  characterized  their 
preaching,  their  prayer-  and  class-meetings,  and  withal 
their  itinerant  method  of  bringing  the  gospel  to  the 
people,  naturally  attracted  the  favorable  attention  of  the 
United  Brethren.  The  further  fact  of  coincidence  in 
language,  their  preaching  being  then  wholly  in  the  Ger- 
man, seemed  to  make  not  only  fraternal  cooperation,  but 
actual  organic  union,  with  them  desirable.  It  was  with 
this  thought  in  mind  that  Bishop  Newcomer,  in  April, 
1813,  made  a  visit  to  their  conference,  where  the  subject 
of  union  was  freely  discussed.     As  a  result,  they  prepared 

1  Dr.  R.  Yeakel,  in  his  History  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  pp.  84,  85,  says : 
"This  conference  gave  the  church  it  represented  no  distinct  name.  .  .  .  But 
the  conference  adopted  a  conference  name  by  calling  itself  The  Newly-Formed 
Methodist  Conference.'  Albright  had  been  a  Methodist,  and  was  such  still  in 
his  heart,  faith,  and  practice.  If  he  had  been  allowed  to  fulfill  his  mission  to 
the  Germans  within  the  Methodist  Church,  he  would  have  remained  in  that 
church,  and  the  Evangelical  Association  would  probably  never  have  come 
into  an  existence.  Yet  he  was  Methodistically  minded  all  his  lifetime,  and  so 
were  all  his  co-laborers,  and  hence  came  this  designation  of  the  conference 
quite  naturally." 
13 


194  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

a  written  communication  on  the  subject  of  union,  which 
they  handed  to  Bishop  Newcomer,  to  be  presented  by 
him  to  the  United  Brethren  conference,  which  was  to 
meet  soon  after  in  Lancaster  County.  The  United  Breth- 
ren received  the  communication  favorably,  and  appointed 
a  committee  of  four  brethren  to  meet  a  like  committee 
of  four,  the  Albright  conference  to  arrange,  if  possible,  a 
basis  of  union.  The  men  appointed  on  the  part  of  the 
United  Brethren  were  Bishop  Newcomer,  Christian  Crum, 
Joseph  Hoffman,  and  Jacob  Baulus.  On  the  part  of  the 
Albrights  they  were  George  Miller,  John  Walter,  John 
Dresbach,  and  Henry  Neible.  They  met  in  council  on 
November  11,  1813,  and  remained  together  for  several 
days,  but  the  object  of  the  meeting  failed.^ 

Further  friendly  interchanges  followed  in  the  next  few 
years,  and  a  final  council  was  held  at  the  house  of  Henry 
Kumler,  afterward  the  elder  Bishop  Kumler,  commencing 
on  February  14,  1817.  Bishop  Newcomer  has  this  brief 
entry  in  his  Journal :  '^  February  14 — Twelve  preachers,  six 
of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  and  six  of  the  Albright 
brethren,  met  this  day  at  Henry  Kumler's,  to  make 
another  attempt  to  unite  the  two  societies,  but  we  could 
not  succeed  in  coming  to  an  agreement."-  Dr.  Yeakel, 
in  his  "History  of  the  Evangelical  Association,"  gives 
the  names  of  the  United  Brethren  members  of  this  com- 
mission as  "Bishop  C.  Newcomer,  Joseph  Hoffman,  Jacob 
Baulus,  Abraham  I^layer,  Christian  Berger,  and  Conrad 
Roth."^  The  names  of  the  Albright  commissioners  are  not 
given.  Bishop  Albright's  name  does  not  appear  in  connec- 
tion with  this  movement,  his  death  having  occurred  in  1808. 

The  cause  of  this  second  failure  is  attributed  by  Dr. 
Yeakel  to  two  considerations:     First,    the   commissioners 

1  Spayth's  History,  pp.  142,  143.  «  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  247. 

3  Dr.  R.  Yeakel's  History  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  Vol.  II.,  p.  142. 


FRIENDLY   COERESPONDENCE  195 

from  the  United  Brethren  side  were  not  empowered  with 
full  authority  to  make  a  final  arrangement.  Whatever 
agreement  they  might  enter  into  must,  according  to  their 
instructions,  be  referred  to  their  General  Conference  for 
approval.  Second,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Evangelical 
commissioners  the  United  Brethren  Tvere  not  yet  suffi- 
ciently crystallized  into  denominational  life.  The  two 
points  alleged  to  sustain  this  view^  were,  that  they  had 
as  yet  no  printed  Discipline,  and  that  their  itinerant  system 
was  not  yet  organized,  and  was  therefore  without  strength. 
On  these  points  it  may  be  remarked,  first,  that  the 
genius  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  has  from  its  early 
days,  or  since  the  organization  of  its  General  Conference, 
required  the  approval  by  that  body  of  any  important  move- 
ment affecting  the  body  of  the  Church  generally.  The 
General  Conference  would  not  now  empower  half  a  dozen 
men  to  enter  into  any  compact  that  should  affect  the 
autonomy  of  the  Church.  In  regard  to  the  second  point,  it 
may  be  said  that  the  Discipline  of  the  Church  adopted 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1815  was  printed  in  1816, 
the  year  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  joint  committee  in 
Februar}^  1817.^  On  the  last  point,  that  pertaining  to  the 
itinerancy,  it  is  to  be  said  that  the  United  Brethren  itiner- 
ancy was  at  that  time  not  yet  fully  organized,  as  has  been 
before  remarked  in  this  volume.  ^Ir.  Albright,  having 
united  with  the  Methodist  Church,  and  for  a  time  ex- 
pecting to  remain  permanently  so  identified,  adopted  all 
the  polity  of  that  church,  a  part  of  which  is  its  thoroughly 
organized  itinerant  system.  The  early  United  Brethren 
came  mostly  from  churches  whose  polity  w-as  essentially 
congregational  and  non-itinerant,  and  its  itinerant  service 
for  a  time  w^as  chiefly  that  of  evangelistic  visitation,  the 
true  itinerant  feeling  and  system  being  not  yet  developed. 

1  See  p.  166. 


196  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  local  ministry  remains  with  us  to  this  day,  entitled 
to  equal  rights  and  privileges  in  the  annual  conference 
with  the  itinerant  ministry,  and  carefully  protected  by 
constitutional  provision,^  a  kind  of  historic  heirloom  of 
the  time  when  the  entire  ministry  of  the  Church  was 
essentially  local.  Bishops  Otterbein  and  Boehm  never 
were  itinerants  except  in  the  sense  of  evangehsts.  Bishop 
Newcomer  became  an  itinerant  in  the  extremest  sense,  if 
almost  incessant  travel  constitutes  one  an  itinerant. 

iSee  p.  866;  also,  IHseiplvie,  Chap.  III.,  Constitution,  Art.  II.,  Sec.  3. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS 

Within  a  period  of  less  than  twenty-four  months,  in 
the  years  1812  and  1813,  the  Church  was  called  to  sus- 
tain the  loss  of  the  three  most  eminent  of  its  leaders  of 
those  early  days. 

I.      BISHOP   MARTIN    BOEHM. 

The  first  of  these  to  be  called  to  the  final  reward  was 
Bishop  Martin  Boehm.  His  death  occurred  on  March 
23,  1812.  Though  so  greatly  advanced  in  years,  his 
health  and  strength  were  preserved  to  a  remarkable 
degree.  He  was  quite  active,  and  able  to  ride  on  horse- 
back until  within  a  few  days  of  death.  His  illness  was 
very  brief,  and  when  the  messenger  came  this  servant  of 
the  Lord  was  ready.  He  suffered  but  slight  pain  during 
the  few  days  of  his  last  illness,  and  it  was  not  supposed 
that  the  end  was  near.  The  only  sign  of  a  possible  fatal 
result  was  a  rapid  decline  in  his  strength.  Realizing, 
seemingly,  that  the  last  hour  was  at  hand,  he  requested 
to  be  raised  up,  that  he  might  sing  and  pray  once  more. 
He  did  this  in  a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  then  sank  back 
on  his  pillow,  and  his  sainted  spirit  took  its  flight.  His 
remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  cemetery  beside  the  church, 
on  his  son's  farm,  earlier  a  portion  of  his  own  homestead, 
to  await  the  trumpet  call  of  the  final  day.  His  age  was 
eighty-six  years,  three  months,  and  eleven  days,  and  he 
served  in  the  gospel  ministry  fifty-three  years. 

Before  passing  from  the  name  of  Bishop  Boehm  a  word 

197 


198  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

should    be    said    concerning   the    relations    he    sustained 
to  the   Methodist    Episcopal    Church   during   the   closing 
years  of   his  life.     His   son,  Rev.    Henry   Boehm,  in   his 
"Reminiscences,     Historical     and     Biographical,"     written 
in    his    eighty-first    year,    makes    a    strong    claim    as    to 
the    connection    of    Mr.    Boehm    with    that    church,   and 
conveys  the  impression  that  his   relations  to   the  United 
Brethren   Church  were  in  his  later   years   rather   lightly 
held.     This  much  is  to  be  said  truthfully  of  Mr.  Boehm, 
that,  like   Otterbein  and  Wesley,  he  did   not  deem  it  an 
impossibility,  nor  even  in  any  sense  inconsistent,  to  hold 
relationship    in    more    than    a    single    denomination.     Mr. 
Wesley,  while  originating  the  movement  which  has  exerted 
so  mighty  an  influence  in  the  progress  of  modern  Chris- 
tianity,  never   thought   it   necessary   to   separate    himself 
formally  from  the  Church  of   England,  nor  was  he  ever 
excluded    from    its    fellowship.      :\lr.    Otterbein,    in    Hke 
manner,    though    seldom    in   his    later    life    attending   the 
sessions    of    the    synod,    never    severed    his    relation    to 
the    German    Reformed    Church,   nor  was    his    name  ever 
stricken  from  the  roll  of  its  ministers.     So  Bishop  Boehm. 
when  quite  far  advanced  in  age,  about  the  year  1802,  for 
the  convenience  of   attending  the  social  meetings  held  in 
Boehm's  Chapel,  permitted  his  name  to  be  placed  on  the 
class-book  of  the  Methodist  society.     This  church,  a  sub- 
stantial stone  building,  stood  on  land   that  had   belonged 
to  his  son  Jacob,  the  farm  being  earlier  a  part  of  Martin 
Boehm's  own  homestead.     Quite  early,  before  the  church 
was  built,  Mr.  Boehm  had  welcomed  Methodist  ministers  to 
his  home  to  preach  the  word  in  his  house,  and  a  class  of 
converts  was  formed,  Mrs.  Boehm  being  one  of  the  number. 
His  son  Jacob  also  became  a  member  of  tliat  church,  while 
Henry,  at  first  recognized  as  among  the  United  Brethren 
ministers,  was  afterward  attracted  to  tlie  Methodist  Church 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  199 

on  account  of  the  greater  thoroughness  of  its  organization, 
especially  as  to  its  more  elaborate  discipHne  and  the 
efficiency  of  its  itinerant  system. 

As  to  the  permanent  connection  of  Martin  Boehm  with 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  it  should  be  sufficient  to 
say  that  he  continued  to  attend  the  sessions  of  the  annual 
conference,  presiding  over  it  as  bishop,  even  after  Bishop 
Otterbein  was  no  longer  able  to  be  present.  Both  Otter- 
bein  and  Boehm  were  present  at  the  Conference  of  1800, 
at  which  time  they  were  first  formally  elected  bishops.  Of 
this  Henry  Boehm  makes  note.  In  1801  both  were  pres- 
ent, their  names  being  signed  to  the  minutes.  The  name 
of  George  A.  Guething,  who  was  for  a  number  of  years 
secretary  of  the  conference,  appears  in  connection  with 
theirs.  Of  the  three,  Boehm's  name  stands  first.  The 
minutes  of  the  Conference  of  1802  are  signed  by  Boehm 
and  Otterbein,  Boehm's  name  again  standing  first.  This 
reversal  of  the  names  is  quite  in  harmony  with  Bishop 
Otterbein's  modesty  and  his  uniform  recognition  of  the 
apostolic  injunction,  "In  honor  preferring  one  another." 
The  minutes  of  1803  are  signed  by  William  Otterbein, 
Martin  Boehm,  and  George  Adam  Guething.  In  1804 
Boehm  was  present,  Otterbein  absent.  This  was  the  year  of 
the  fever  epidemic,  but  Boehm  was  in  attendance.  In  1805 
both  were  present,  and  the  minutes  are  signed  by  WiUiani 
Otterbein  and  Martin  Boehm.  At  this  session  both  were 
reelected  bishops.  In  1806  neither  Otterbein  nor  Boehm 
was  present,  both  being  now  past  eighty  years  of  age. 
The  minutes  are  signed  by  George  Adam  Guething  and 
Christian  Newcomer.  In  1807  Boehm  was  again  present, 
and  the  minutes  are  signed  by  Martin  Boehm  and  George 
Adam  Guething.  The  minutes  of  1808  are  signed  by 
Guething  and  Newcomer.  In  1809  Boehm  was  again 
present.     This  session  was  held  in  Lancaster  Countv.     The 


200  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

minutes  are  not  signed,  but  his  presence  is  noted  in  the 
body  of  the  record.  This  was  the  last  session  Bishop  Boehm 
attended.  He  was  now  eighty-three  years  old,  and  the 
time  was  three  years  before  his  death.  In  the  minutes  of 
1812,  the  session  opening  on  May  13,  Bishop  Boehm  having 
died  in  March  previous,  his  death  is  duly  recorded. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  Henry  Boehm 's  statement 
in  all  its  details,  in  portions  of  which  he  seems  to  wax 
perhaps  a  little  over-zealous.  But  he  insists  strongly  upon 
his  father's  high  sense  of  honor — that  he  could  not  stoop 
to  do  a  mean  thing.  But  would  it  not  seem  quite  incon- 
sistent for  Mr.  Boehm  to  continue  up  to  almost  the  last 
year  of  his  life  to  preside  as  bishop  over  the  United  Breth- 
ren conference,  or  to  suffer  his  formal  reelection  in  1805,  if 
he  had  become  really  a  Methodist?  We  must  conclude 
that  he  did  precisely  what  he  says  he  did,  in  answer  to 
one  of  a  series  of  questions  first  pubhshed  in  the  Methodist 
Magazine;^  also  found  in  Dr.  Bangs's  ''History  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church."  2  The  portion  of  the  answer 
referred  to  is  as  follows  :  "Age  having  overtaken  me,  with 
some  of  its  accompanying  infirmities,  I  could  not  travel  as 
I  had  formerly  done.  In  1802  I  enrolled  my  name  on  a 
Methodist  class-book,  and  I  have  found  great  comfort  in 
meeting  with  my  brethren."  It  was  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  when  Mr.  Boehm  entered,  for  the  sake  of  conveni- 
ence, into  this  relation  with  his  Methodist  brethren,  so  that 
he  might  have  an  open  door  to  the  class-meetings,  which  at 
that  time  would  have  been  closed  against  him.  From  1809 
on,  for  some  years,  he  could  have  enjoyed  this  freedom 
without  enrolling  his  name.  In  the  same  answer  he  says  : 
*'I  am,  this  12th  of  April,  1811,  in  my  eighty-sixth  year. 
Through  the  boundless  goodness  of  God  I  am  still  able  to 
visit  the  sick,  and  occasionally  to  preach  in  the  neighbor- 

» Vol.  VI.,  pp.  210-249.  '  Vol.  II.,  pp.  36.5-376. 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  201 

hood.  To  his  name  be  all  the  glory  in  Christ  Jesus."  "I 
can  truly  say  my  last  days  are  my  best  days.  My  be- 
loved Eve  is  traveling  with  me  the  same  road,  Zionward  ; 
my  children,  and  most  of  my  grandchildren,  are  made 
partakers  of  the  same  grace."  ^ 

Thus  the  name  of  Bishop  Boehm,  while  associated  in  a 
fraternal  and  eminently  Christian  way  with  another  denom- 
ination for  which  he  cherished  only  regard  and  love,  stands 
inseparably  connected  with  the  Church  to  which  he  gave 
the  service  of  his  long  and  useful  life,  second  only  in  honor 
and  veneration  to  that  of  the  greater  Otterbein,  with  whom 
in  the  labors  of  the  gospel  he  was  so  closely  associated.  ^ 

II.       GEORGE    ADAM    GUETHING. 

The  session  of  the  Eastern  Conference  for  1812  was  held 
at  Antietam,  Mr.  Guething's  home,  commencing  on  May  12. 
Bishop  Boehm  having  died,  and  Bishop  Otterbein  being 
too  feeble  to  attend,  Mr.  Guething  was  called  to  preside. 
Though  well  advanced  in  life,  he  was  in  seemingly  good 
health  and  in  a  remarkably  cheerful  mood,  and  none 
had  any  thought  that  the  end  was  nigh.  According  to 
Mr.  Spayth,  the  circumstances  of  his  death  were  as  follows  : 

Mr.  Guething,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  went  to  the 
city  of  Baltimore,  to  spend  a  week  or  two  with  his  dearly 
beloved  brother  William  Otterbein  and  other  friends  in 
that  city.  But  becoming  somewhat  indisposed,  he  shortened 
his  visit,  and  left  the  city  for  home.     On  the  way  returning, 

'  Boehm's  Reminiscences,  p.  380. 

2  The  reader,  whose  attention  has  been  especially  drawn  to  the  regular 
order  of  the  annual  conferences  from  1800  to  1809,  will  be  further  interested 
to  notice  the  succession  of  the  Eastern  Conference  onward  to  the  General 
Conference  of  1815.  The  minutes  of  1810  and  1811  are  without  signature,  though 
Guething  and  Newcomer  were  present  at  each.  Those  of  1812  ( May  12 )  are 
signed  by  Newcomer.  Guething  was  present,  his  death  occurring  in  June 
following.  At  the  conference  of  1818,  Boehm  having  died,  Newcomer  was  first 
elected  bishop.  He  was  reelected  in  1814.  The  minutes  of  the  sessions  of  1814 
and  1815  are  signed  by  Christian  Newcomer,  Bishop,  and  Jacob  Baulus,  Secre- 
tary. 


202  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

he  stopped  for  the  night  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Snyder,  about 
thirty  miles  from  the  city.  Here  his  ilhiess  increased  dur- 
ing the  night.  Early  in  the  morning  he  felt  somewhat 
relieved  for  a  while,  and  conversed  wdth  his  wife  and  Mrs. 
Snyder  about  the  Christian's  hope  and  the  prospect  of  a 
glorious  immortality.  Suddenly  he  became  silent.  When 
he  spoke  again  he  said,  "I  feel  as  though  my  end  had 
come."  Presently  he  spoke  again,  exclaiming  :  "  Hark,  hark, 
who  spoke  ?  Whose  voice  is  this  I  hear  ?  Light !  light ! 
what  golden  light !  Now  all  is  dark  again.  Please  help 
me  out  of  this  bed."  He  w^as  assisted,  as  requested,  and 
then  said,  "Now  let  us  sing,"  and  led  in  the  following  stanza  : 

"Komm',  du  lang  verlangte  Stunde, 

Komm',  du  Lebensgeist  von  oben; 
O  wie  soil  mein  frolier  Munde, 

Jesu,  deine  Treue  loben ; 
Wann  mich  deine  Liebesmacht, 

Dir  zu  deinen  frei  geniacht." 

A  somewhat  free  translation  of  this  beautiful  stanza  is 
as  follows  : 

"Come,  thou  long-expected  moment, 

Come,  thou  Spmt  from  on  high; 
'  T  is  thy  call,  my  Lord  and  Master  ; 

How  shall  I  express  my  joy, 
When  thy  grace  and  power  of  love 

Bid  me  rise  to  climes  above." 

Having  completed  the  singing  of  this  stanza,  Mr. 
Guething  sank  down  on  his  knees,  leaning  against  the 
bed,  and  offered  an  earnest  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  his  great  mercy  toward  him,  and  for  the  Father's  bless- 
ing in  this  supreme  hour.  He  w^as  then  assisted  into  bed 
again,  and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  his  devout  si)irit 
was  caught  up  to  God.  Mr.  Guething's  death  occurred 
on  June  28,  1812.  His  age  was  seventy-one  years,  four 
months,  and  twenty-two  days.     Mr.  Guething  w\as  a  man 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  203 

of  brilliant  powers  as  a  pulpit  orator,  and  was  deemed  the 
Apollos  among  the  early  leaders  of  the  Church. 

III.       BISHOP    PHILIP    WILLIAM    OTTERBEIN. 

The  time  for  the  departure  of  the  greatest  of  this  illus- 
trious trio  drew  on  more  gradually.  For  him  the  sum- 
mons came  last,  so  that  in  another  sense  the  words  of 
Scripture  were  fulfilled,  "The  first  shall  be  last."  For 
some  years  before  the  end  came,  Bishop  Otterbein's  strength 
began  to  yield,  and  once  it  was  thought  his  death  was  at 
hand.  In  May,  1805,  he  presided  over  the  conference  for 
the  last  time.  It  was  at  this  session,  held  at  the  house  of 
Jacob  Baulus,  that  he  and  Bishop  Boehm  were  elected  the 
second  time  to  the  office  of  superintendent.  In  December 
of  that  year  he  was  taken  suddenly  and  so  severely  ill  that 
his  life  was  despaired  of.  Mr.  Newcomer  was  in  Frederick 
City  preaching  on  Sunday,  the  15th,  when  he  received 
the  intelligence  of  this  serious  sickness.  Although  it  was 
winter,  he  started  on  Monday  morning  long  before  day- 
light, as  early  as  four  o'clock,  to  ride  to  Baltimore,  reaching 
that  city  by  night.  In  his  Journal  he  makes  the  statement 
that  he  "found  Otterbein  very  ill  indeed,  and  in  great 
pains ;  he  requested  me  to  pray  for  him.  On  account 
of  his  great  weakness  he  could  converse  but  very  little." 
On  the  next  morning  he  found  ^Ir.  Otterbein  slightly  im- 
proved, and  says  again:  "We  held  a  long  conversation 
together.  Among  other  things,  he  said  we  should  only 
prove  faithful  to  the  work  which  was  so  auspiciously 
begun,  and  the  Lord  would  certainly  be  with  us  and 
continue  unto  us  his  blessings.  Towards  evening  his 
pains  increased  again.  He  inquired  of  those  around  the 
bed  whether  I  was  present.  Being  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  I  drew  to  him,  and  asked  what  he  desired. 
^0  Christian,'  said  he,  'my  pains  are  so  severe  and  with- 


204  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

out  intermission  that  without  the  assisting  grace  of  God 
I  must  sink,  for  my  strength  will  shortly  be  exhausted. 
Do  pray  that  the  Lord  may  graciously  lend  me  his 
assistance,  and,  if  according  to  his  holy  will,  suffer  my 
pains  to  moderate.'  We  sang  a  few  verses  of  a  hymn. 
Brother  Ettinger,  who  was  also  present,  and  myself  prayed 
and  besought  a  throne  of  grace  in  his  behalf.  Before  we 
had  concluded,  the  pains  abated,  and  in  a  short  time  he 
fell  into  a  slumber."  Mr.  Newcomer  remained  with  Mr. 
Otterbein  during  the  next  forenoon,  when,  after  commend- 
ing him  once  more  to  God  in  prayer,  he  bade  him  what  he 
thought  was  in  all  probability  a,  final  farewell.  On  ex- 
tending to  him  his  hand,  Mr.  Otterbein  said,  with  great 
emphasis:  ''The  God  of  Abraham  be  with  thee  and  bless 
thee.     Remember  me  at  a  throne  of  grace."  ^ 

From  this  illness  Mr.  Otterbein  recovered,  but  never 
regained  his  accustomed  strength.  Special  assistance  was 
provided  for  him  in  the  care  of  his  congregation  in  Balti- 
more, and  instead  of  going  out  to  assist  his  brethren  in 
their  services  at  communion  or  other  occasions,  as  he  had 
so  often  done,  they  now  came  to  assist  him.  Newcomer's 
Journal  has  frequent  entries  noting  his  visits,  and  those 
of  other  ministers,  to  Baltimore  to  assist  the  dear  venerable 
father  whom  they  so  tenderly  loved,  so  as  to  make  his 
burdens  of  service  lighter.  He  was  yet  to  live  nearly  eight 
years  before  his  departure  from  earthly  toil,  but  during 
these  years  he  remained  within  the  city,  except  to  spend 
occasionally  a  day  with  friends  near  by.  During  his  min- 
istry through  these  years  his  congregation  continued  to 
bestow  upon  him  their  tenderest  affection,  while  they 
lightened  the  burden  of  his  labors  to  the  extent  of  their 
power.  There  was  no  haste  to  dismiss  from  service  a 
faithful  pastor  because  he  ceased  to  possess  the  vigor  of  his 

»  Newcomer's  Journal,  pp.  141,  142. 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  205 

mature  manhood.  At  eighty  years  and  up  to  eighty-seven 
they  welcomed  joyfully  his  presence  in  the  pulpit,  and 
lavished  upon  him  every  token  of  filial  love. 

The  time  was  now  at  length  approaching  when  toil  must 
€ease,  and  the  great  man  be  called  to  his  reward.  But  there 
were  some  important  duties  yet  to  be  performed  by  him, 
and  among  these  was  that  of  giving  regular  ordination  to 
some  of  his  brethren  upon  whom  his  mantle  was  soon  to 
fall.  The  story  of  this  ordination  is  thus  told  by  Bishop 
Newcomer,  who  had  in  the  previous  spring,  on  May  7,  1813, 
been  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop.^  The  entry  as  to  the 
ordination  is  thus  made  in  Bishop  Newcomer's  Journal :  ^ 

"October  1st — This  morning  we  came  to  Baltimore.  Old 
Father  Otterbein  is  very  weak  and  feeble  in  body,  but 
strong  and  vigorous  in  spirit,  and  full  of  hope  of  a  blissful 
immortality  and  eternal  life.  He  was  greatly  rejoiced  at 
our  arrival,  and  informed  me  that  he  had  received  a  letter 
from  the  brethren  in  the  West,^  wherein  he  was  requested 
to  ordain  me,  by  the  laying  on  of  hands,  to  the  office  of 
elder  and  preacher  of  the  gospel,  before  his  departure; 
adding,  'I  have  always  considered  myself  too  unworthy 
to  perform  this  solemn  injunction  of  the  apostle,  but  now 
I  perceive  the  necessity  of  doing  so  before  I  shall  be  re- 
moved.'    He  then  requested  to  know  whether  I  had  any 

^  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  213.  « Ibid.,  pp.  219,  220. 

3The  letter  here  referred  to  by  Bishop  Otterbein  was  an  official  communi- 
cation from  the  Miami  Conference,  citing  action  taken  at  its  session  of  1813, 
touching  the  subject  of  ordination  by  the  laying  on  of  hands.  On  pages  20  and' 
21  of  the  Miami  Conference  journal  the  following  entries  are  found: 

"The  mode  of  ordination  was  next  taken  up,  as  also  the  manner  of  receiv- 
ing preachers.  It  is  lamented  that  too  little  order  has  been  attended  to  in 
receiving  preachers,  as  well  as  ordaining.  The  conference,  therefore,  has  taken 
it  into  consideration  whether  it  is  proper  that  a  preacher  should  be  ordained 
without  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  an  elder." 

"After  reading  .  .  .  ,  singing,  and  prayer,  took  up  the  subject  of  ordination. 
Agreed  that  a  petition  be  sent  to  Father  Otterbein,  requesting  him  to  ordain  one 
or  more  preachers  by  laying  on  of  hands,  who  may  perform  the  office  for  others.' 

Following  this  action  a  letter  was  prepared  and  approved  by  the  conference, 
to  be  sent  to  Bishop  Otterbein.  In  accordance  with  the  request  so  made,  the 
three  brethren  here  named  were  duly  ordained. 


206  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

objection  to  make,  and,  if  not,  whether  the  present  would 
not  be  a  suitable  time.  I  replied,  that  I  firmly  believed 
solemn  ordination  to  the  ministry  had  been  enjoined  and 
practiced  by  the  apostles  ;  therefore,  if  in  his  opinion  the 
performance  of  the  act  should  be  thought  necessary  and 
beneficial,  I  had  no  objection  .  .  .  ,  but  would  cheerfully 
consent.  Only  one  request  I  would  wish  to  make — that, 
as  Brothers  Joseph  Hoffman  and  Frederick  Schaffer  were 
present,  he  should  ordain  them  at  the  same  time.  To 
this  he  readily  assented,  and  immediately  appointed  the 
following  day  for  the  solemn  performance  of  this  duty. 

"October  2d — This  forenoon  the  vestry  and  several  other 
members  of  the  church  assembled  at  the  house  of  Father 
Otterbein.  The  old  man  addressed  us  in  so  spiritual  and 
powerful  a  manner  that  all  beheld  him  with  astonishment. 
It  appeared  as  if  he  had  received  particular  unction  from 
above  to  perform  this  solemn  act.  After  addressing  a 
throne  of  grace  with  great  fervency  for  a  blessing,  he  called 
on  Brother  William  Ryland,  an  elder  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  who  had  been  invited  for  the  purpose, 
to  assist  him  in  the  ordination.  We  were  accordingly 
ordained  to  the  office  of  elders  in  the  ministry  by  the 
laying  on  of  hands.  John  Hildt,  a  member  of  the  vestry, 
had  been  appointed  secretary.  He  executed  certificates  of 
ordination  to  each  of  us,  in  the  German  and  English  lan- 
guages, which  certificates  were  then  signed  by  Father 
William  Otterbein  and  delivered  to  each  of  us.  At  night 
we  preached  in  the  church.     I  lodged  with  Otterbein."  ^ 

The  scene  presented  in  these  ordination  ceremonies  was 
one  of  profoundest  interest.  The  aged  father  was  too  feeble 
to  stand,  and  dehvered  his  address  in  a  sitting  posture, 
having  first  been  assisted  from  his  couch  to  a  chair.  He 
was  again  assisted  to  his  feet  when  he  arose  to  lay  his 

»  Newcomer's  Journal,  pp.  219,  220. 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  207 

hands  upon  the  heads  of  the  candidates.  Thus,  under 
circumstances  of  the  deepest  solemnity,  the  venerable 
patriarch  conferred  his  final  blessing  upon  his  successors, 
making  a  special  point  in  his  address,  as  Dr.  Drury  ob- 
serves, "against  being  precipitate  in  the  ordinations  that 
it  would  devolve  upon  them  to  confer."  The  importance 
of  this  ordination  in  one  sense  will  be  noted  in  the  fact 
that  one  of  these  men,  Mr.  Newcomer,  was  already  a  bishop, 
and  another,  Mr.  Hoffman,  was  destined  to  be  such  after- 
ward. Thus,  through  these  men,  if  ordination  in  the 
regular  historical  sense  possesses  any  value,  the  United 
Brethren  ministry  have  derived  their  authority  in  line 
from  the  apostles.  Bishop  Otterbein  himself  having  been 
regularly  ordained  in  the  Reformed  Church  in  Germany 
before  coming  to  America.  This  ordination  was  simply  an 
ordination  to  the  ministry,  and  not  to  the  office  of  bishop. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  one  of  these  certificates  of 
ordination,  that  of  Joseph  Hoffman  : 

Know  all  men  whom  it  may  concern,  that  Joseph  Hoffman, 
this  2d  day  of  October,  1813,  in  the  presence  of  the  subscribers, 
leaders  of  the  congregation  in  Baltimore,  by  the  Rev.  William 
Otterbein,  in  conjunction  with  and  with  the  assistance  of  William 
Ryland,  an  elder  of  the  Methodist  society  in  Baltiinore,  by  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  is  duly  and  solemnly  ordained.  We  desire 
and  pray  that  his  labors  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  may  prove  a 
blessing  to  many  souls. 

Given  this  2d  day  of  October,  1813. 

( WITNESS. )  John  Hildt,  Secretary. 

William  Backer. 

BALTZER  SCHAEFFER.    ^  SEAL. 

Gottfried  Sumwalt.      \  seal. 

Jacob  Smith. 

William  Otterbein. 


A  True  Cojyy. 


208  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Mr.  Ryland,  whom  the  Bishop  invited  to  assist  him 
in  the  ordination,  was  a  man  of  briUiant  qualities,  being 
esteemed  one  of  the  foremost  pulpit  orators  of  his  day. 
He  was  for  a  number  of  years  chaplain  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  possessed  the  highest  esteem  of  the 
leading  statesmen  of  the  period. 

The  day  following  the  ordination  ceremonies  being  the 
Sabbath,  these  brethren  conducted  a  communion  service 
in  Otterbein's  church.  Bishop  Newcomer  makes  in  his 
Journal  the  following  entry:  "This  forenoon  Brother 
Hoffman  preached  first ;  I  followed  him.  Brother  Schaffer 
assisted  in  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  supper.  A 
great  many  persons  came  to  the  table  of  the  Lord  with 
contrite  hearts  and  streaming  eyes.  This  was  truly  a  day 
of  grace  to  many  souls.     Unto  God  be  all  the  glory." 

On  the  next  day  Bishop  Newcomer  and  Mr.  Hoffman 
left  the  city.  On  bidding  farewell  to  Mr.  Otterbein  he 
exhorted  them  to  faithfulness,  assuring  them  that  God's 
blessing  would  rest  upon  their  work.  His  last  words  to 
them  were:  "Farewell.  If  any  inquire  after  me,  tell 
them  I  die  in  the  faith  I  have  preached."^ 

The  time  of  the  end  was  now  rapidly  approaching. 
The  asthmatic  affection  from  which  he  had  been  suffering 
increased  in  severity,  and  his  strength  was  steadily  yield- 
ing. In  a  little  more  than  six  weeks  from  this  time  he 
was  to  make  his  exit  from  life.  When  it  was  apparent 
that  the  end  was  near,  a  number  of  friends  gathered  about 
his  bed.  Dr.  J.  D.  Kurtz,  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  offered 
the  last  audible  prayer  before  death  came,  at  the  close  of 
which  Otterbein  responded  :  "Amen,  amen!  It  is  finished." 
A  little  later  he  quoted  the  words  of  the  aged  Simeon, 
"  Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  accord- 
ing to  thy  word ;  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation." 

1  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  361. 


THE  DEPARTUBE  OF  THE  LEADERS  209 

For  a  few  moments  it  seemed  as  if  he  would  not  speak 
again.  But,  rallying  once  more,  he  said,  "Jesus,  Jesus,  I 
die,  but  thou  livest,  and  soon  I  shall  live  with  thee." 
Then,  turning  again  to  his  friends  about  him,  he  con- 
tinued :  "  The  conflict  is  over  and  past.  I  begin  to  feel 
an  unspeakable  fullness  of  love  and  peace  divine.  Lay 
my  head  upon  my  pillow,  and  be  still."  Mr.  Spayth 
adds:  "Stillness  reigned  in  the  chamber  of  death, — no, 
not  of  death ;  the  chariot  of  Israel  had  come.  ^See,' 
whispered  one,  4iow  sweet,  how  easy  he  breathes.'  A 
smile,  a  fresh  glow  lighted  up  his  countenance,  and, 
behold,  it  was  death." 

Dr.  Drury,  in  remarking  upon  this  closing  scene,  im- 
pressively says :  "  It  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  in 
the  long  list  of  dying  utterances  of  eminent  saints  nothing 
can  be  found  more  profoundly  fitting  or  truly  sublime  than 
the  dying  words  of  Otterbein.  .  .  .  He  died  as  he  lived, 
with  commanding  composure  and  subdued  greatness." 

Bishop  Otterbein's  death  occurred  on  Wednesday,  No- 
vember 17,  1813,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  His  age 
was  eighty-seven  years,  five  months,  and  fourteen  days. 
Sixty-five  years  had  been  spent  in  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  The  funeral  services  were  held  on  Satur- 
day morning  following.  The  exercises  w^ere  conducted  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Kurtz  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  Rev.  William 
Ryland  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  Rev.  George 
Dashields  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Dr.  Kurtz 
preached  a  sermon  in  German,  from  the  words,  "Call  the 
laborers,  and  give  them  their  hire."  ^  ]\Ir.  Ryland  followed 
in  English,  and  Mr.  Dashields  conducted  the  service  at  the 
grave.  It  was  most  fitting  that  Mr.  Schaffer,  the  only 
United  Brethren  minister  in  the  city,  should  be  chief  among 
the  mourners.     Newcomer,  Hoffman,  Christian  Crum,  and 

» Matt.  20:8. 
14 


210  THE  UNITED  BBETHBEN  IN  CHRIST 

Jacob  Baulus  were  away  in  Pennsylvania,  and  there  w^as 
then  no  telegraph,  nor  any  swift-moving  mail  trains,  by 
which  to  notify  them  of  the  death  of  the  great  chief.  It 
was  most  beautiful,  too,  that  this  good  man,  who  had  been 
so  broad  and  all-embracing  in  his  sympathies,  should  have 
devout  men  of  several  denominations  utter  words  of  sorrow 
and  love  about  his  cherished  remains. 

When  Newcomer  heard  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  death,  he 
wrote  in  his  diary,  "He  is  called  to  his  everlasting  home, 
where  he  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  will  follow 
him."  Asbury  received  the  news  with  deei3est  sorrow, 
and  exclaimed  :  "  Is  Father  Otterbein  dead  ?  Great  and 
good  man  of  God  !  An  honor  to  his  church  and  country  ! 
One  of  the  greatest  scholars  and  divines  that  ever  came 
to  America,  or  born  in  it.  Alas,  the  chiefs  of  the  Germans 
are  gone  to  their  rest  and  reward,  taken  from  the  evil  to 
come." 

Kurtz  and  Ryland  and  Dashields  were  all  in  thorough 
sympathy  with  Bishop  Otterbein  in  his  work  as  leader 
of  the  Germans  in  the  great  revival  movement. 

The  remains  of  Bishop  Otterbein  were  interred  in  the 
small  cemetery  connected  with  the  church  in  which  he 
had  so  long  jDreached,  near  the  entrance  way  on  the 
Conway  Street  side.  The  church  was  built  during  his 
pastorate,  and,  though  now  antiquated  in  outward  appear- 
ance, remains  as  a  substantial  link  uniting  the  present  to 
the  past.  A  modest  marble  slab  covers  his  grave,  above 
which,  sustained  by  four  low  columns,  rests  another  of 
equal  size,  bearing  an  inscription.  But  the  real  monument 
to  his  memory  is  the  growing  and  actively  aggressive 
Christian  denomination  of  which,  under  the  Divine  lead- 
ing, he  became  the  founder. 

The  relations  existing  between  the  two  great  leaders. 
Bishop   Otterbein,   of  the   United   Brethren   Church,    and 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  211 

Bishop  Asbury,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  were 
of  a  nature  so  tender  and  strong  that,  though  often  referred 
to  in  these  pages,  a  few  further  words  ought  here  to  be 
placed  on  record.  From  the  time  of  their  meeting  in 
Baltimore  in  1774,  on  Mr.  Otterbein's  first  advent  to  that 
city,  a  warm  mutual  attachment  sprang  up.  This  friend- 
ship, notwithstanding  their  disparity  in  years, — Mr.  Otter- 
bein  being  nearly  twenty  years  the  senior  of  Mr.  Asbury, — 
ripened  into  one  of  almost  romantic  character.  Frequent 
allusions  occur  in  Asbury 's  "Journal"  to  visits  made  to 
the  "great  and  good  Otterbein,"  as  he  took  delight  in 
calling  him.  Rev.  Henry  Boehm,  in  his  "  Eeminiscences," 
says :  "  They  were  united  by  a  threefold  cord  stronger 
than  death,  and  lasting  as  their  existence.  They  never 
met  witliout  complying  with  the  apostolic  injunction, 
'Salute  one  another  w^ith  an  holy  kiss.'"^  Mr.  Boehm 
was  intimately  acquainted  with  both  of  these  men,  being 
for  a  number  of  years  the  traveling  companion  of  Asbury, 
and  preaching  for  Otterbein  at  different  times  in  his 
church,  and  being  a  guest  in  his  parsonage.^ 

This  high  mutual  regard  led  Mr.  Asbury  to  desire  that 
Mr.  Otterbein  assist  in  the  ceremonies  when  he  w^as 
consecrated  to  the  office  of  a  bishop  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  The  first  General  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Church  was  held  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  in 
December,  1784,  a  body  consisting,  not  of  delegates  chosen 
for  the  purpose,  but  of  all  the  ministers  of  the  church 
who  answered  to  a  general  call  for  the  meeting.  It  was 
presided  over  by  Dr.  Coke,  whom  Mr.  Wesley  had  es- 
pecially consecrated  as  superintendent  of  the  work  in 
America.  Mr.  Asbury,  though  he  had  been  preaching 
since  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  and  had  now  been  in 
America  for  eleven  years,  was  as  yet  unordained,  and  held 

1  Boehm's  Reminiscences,  p.  389.  « Ibid. 


212  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

properly  the  rank  of  a  lay  preacher,  giving  himself  to  the 
preaching  of  the  word  only,  and  not  administering  the 
ordinances.  On  the  first  day  of  the  conference,  December 
25,  he  was  ordained  by  Dr.  Coke  to  the  office  of  a  deacon, 
Richard  Whatcoat  and  Thomas  Yasey  assisting.  Mr. 
Whatcoat  and  Mr.  Yasey  held  the  rank  of  elders,  ordained 
as  such  by  Mr.  \Yesley.  On  the  second  day  Mr.  Asbury 
was  ordained  to  the  office  of  an  elder,  the  same  elders 
assisting.  On  the  third  he  was  ordained  to  the  office  of 
bishop.  Before  this  last  consecration  he  requested  that 
Mr.  Otterbein  be  associated  with  the  other  ministers  in  the 
solemn  ceremonies,  and  it  was  accordingly  so  done. 

Bishop  Asbury  preached  a  special  sermon  upon  the  death 
of  Bishop  Boehm,  and  some  months  after  the  death  of  Bishop 
Otterbein  he  also  preached  a  sermon  on  Otterbein's  life  and 
labors  in  the  pulpit  which  he  had  so  long  honored.  In  the 
sermon  on  Boehm  he  made  these  references  to  Otterbein,  in 
connection  with  Guething  and  Boehm  :  "  Preeminent  among 
these  is  William  Otterbein,  who  assisted  in  the  ordination 
which  set  apart  your  speaker  to  the  superintendency  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  William  Otterbein  was  regu- 
larly ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the  German  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  is  one  of  the  best  scholars  and  the  greatest 
divines  in  America.  Why,  then,  is  he  not  where  he  began? 
He  was  irregular.  Alas  for  us  !  the  zealous  are  necessarily 
so  to  those  whose  cry  has  been,  'Put  me  into  the  priest's 
office,  that  I  may  eat  a  morsel  of  bread.'  .  .  .  Such  was 
not  Boehm  ;  such  is  not  Otterbein  ;  and  now  his  sun  of 
life  is  setting  in  brightness.  Behold  the  saint  of  God  lean- 
ing upon  his  staff,  waiting  for  the  chariots  of  Israel."^ 

In  March,  1814,  the  Methodist  conference  held  its  session 
in  Baltimore,  Bishops  Asbury  and  McKendree  presiding. 
The    conference    requested    Bishop    Asbury   to    preach   a 

^  Bangs's  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Vol.  II.,  p.  371. 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  213 

sermon  on  Bishop  Otterbein.  The  service  was  held  in 
Otterbein's  church,  being  attended  by  the  entire  confer- 
ence, Mr.  Otterbein's  bereft  congregation,  and  many  of 
the  ministers  of  the  city.  In  reference  to  this  occasion 
Bishop  Asbury  made  the  following  minute  in  his  diary  : 
*'By  request  I  discoursed  on  the  character  of  the  angel 
of  the  church  of  Philadelphia,  in  allusion  to  P.  W. 
Otterbein,  the  holy,  the  great  Otterbein,  whose  funeral 
discourse  it  was  intended  to  be.  Solemnity  marked 
the  silent  meeting  in  the  German  church,  where  were 
assembled  the  members  of  our  conference  and  many  of 
the  clergy  of  the  city.  Forty  years  have  I  known  the 
retiring  modesty  of  this  man  of  God,  towering  majestic 
above  his  fellows  in  learning,  wisdom,  and  grace,  yet 
seeking  to  be  known  only  of  God  and  the  people  of  God." 

On  the  appearance  and  personal  peculiarities  of  Bishop 
Otterbein,  Rev.  Henry  Boehm,  in  his  "Reminiscences," 
remarks:  "In  person  he  was  tall,  being  six  feet  high, 
with  a  noble  frame  and  a  commanding  appearance.  He 
had  a  thoughtful,  open  countenance,  full  of  benignity, 
and  a  dark-bluish  eye  that  was  very  expressive.  In 
reading  the  lessons  he  used  spectacles,  which  he  would 
take  off  and  hold  in  his  left  hand  while  speaking.  He 
had  a  high  forehead,  a  double  chin,  with  a  beautiful 
dimple  in  the  center.  His  locks  were  gray,  his  dress 
parsonic."  ^ 

Dr.  Abel  Stevens,  in  his  "History  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,"  says  of  him :  "  Otterbein  was  large,  and 
very  commanding  in  his  personal  appearance,  with  a 
prominent  forehead,  upon  which  the  seal  of  the  Lord 
seemed  to  be  plainly  impressed.  His  Christian  kindness 
and  benevolence  knew  no  bounds,  and  all  he  received, 
like   "Wesley,   he   gave   away   in    charities."^      Interesting 

*  Boehm's  Reminiscences,  p.  391. 

«  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Vol.  I.,  pp.  219,  220. 


214  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

illustrations  of  Bishop  Otterbein's  practical  charity  are 
given  in  Dr.  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein.^ 

The  extreme  scantiness  of  Bishop  Otterbein's  literary 
remains  has  been  frequently  remarked  upon.  A  few  of  his 
letters — the  original  autographs — are  in  the  vaults  of  the 
United  Brethren  Publishing  House,  at  Dayton.  A  manu- 
script volume  of  Latin  sermons  was  known  to  exist  until 
1853,  since  which  time  it  cannot  be  found.  In  1851  Prof. 
John  Haywood,  of  Otterbein  University,  examined  the 
collection,  and  translated  one  of  the  sermons.  A  sketch 
of  a  sermon  preached  at  the  Conference  of  1801  remains. 
The  sermon  was  based  on  Jude  20-25.  The  leading  topics 
of  the  treatment  were  :  1.  The  sanctity  of  the  ministerial 
office.  2.  The  character  of  the  men  that  should  take 
upon  them  this  office.  They  must  be  men  of  faith,  of 
prayer,  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  3.  The  duties  of  the 
office.     4.     Its  great  responsibilities. 

Bishop  Otterbein  read  and  used  the  Latin  language  with 
great  ease,  and  appears  to  have  been  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  Greek  and  the  Hebrew.  But  he  was  not  much 
given  to  writing,  and  no  published  volumes  from  his  pen 
remain.^ 

The  closeness  of  intimacy  between  the  leaders  of  the 
United  Brethren  and  Methodist  Episcopal  churches,  as 
seen  in  the  foregoing  pages,  was  a  most  striking  feature 
of  that  early  formative  period,  and  thus  it  becomes  easy 
to  account  for  the  close  resemblance  between  the  two 
churches  in  general  organization  and  polity.  The  itiner- 
ant method  of  ministerial  supply,  the  episcopacy,  the  sub- 
episcopacy,  or  presiding-eldership,  quadrennial,  annual, 
and  quarterly  conferences,  all  are  common  to  both 
churches.  The  general  forms  of  worship  are  closely  iden- 
tical.    The  general  doctrines  of  the  two  churches  are  the 

1  Pp.  322-325.  '  See  Drury's  Life  of  Otterbein,  Chap.  XVI. 


THE  DEPARTURE  OF  THE  LEADERS  215 

same,  both  being  Arminian.     It  cannot,  however,  be  said 
that  the  United  Brethren  derived  their  Arminianisni  from 
the  Methodist  Church.     Otterbein   and   AVesley  both   had 
their  birth  and  early  training  in  churches  at  least  mildly 
Calvinistic.     We  have  already  seen  in  these  pages  that  in 
the  school  of  Herborn,  where  Otterbein  received  his  educa- 
tion,  there   was   much    liberty   as  to  religious   faith,  and 
Calvinistic    teaching    was   not   insisted    upon   with   much 
emphasis  ;i    and,    further,    that   the   thirteenth    article    of 
compact   under   which    Otterbein's  congregation  in   Balti- 
more   was    organized    distinctly   provided,    "No   preacher 
can  stay  among  us  who  .teachetli  the  doctrine  of  predes- 
tination, or  the   impossibility  of   falling  from  grace,  and 
who   holdeth   them    as    doctrinal    points."  ^     Neither    was 
the  prayer-meeting   derived   from   the   Methodist   Church, 
Otterbein    having    been    accustomed     to    hold    regularly 
these   meetings   in    Germany   before   coming   to   America, 
and   in  America  before  his  advent   to    Baltimore,   or   his 
meeting    with    Asbury.      The   class-meeting,    in   its   more 
specific  forms,  as  earlier  known  among  the  United  Breth- 
ren,  was   doubtless   derived    from   the   Methodist  Church. 
The   itinerant   system   came   slowly   into   favor,   its   great 
efficiency  in  the  Methodist  Church  commending  it.     But 
not   only   the   leaders,   but  many  others  of  the  ministers 
and  people,  holding  common  convictions  as  to  conversion 
and  a  spiritual  life,  commingled  freely  in  the  "great  meet- 
ings" and  in  services  in  the  churches  and  private  houses, 
occupied  each  other's  pulpits  without  jealousy  or  fear  that 
either  would  gain  an  advantage  over  the  other,  and  rejoiced 
together  in  the  most  fraternal  way  when  precious  harvests 
of  souls  were  gathered  into  the  kingdom.     It  was  therefore 
most  natural  that  in  the  polity  and  general  life  of  the  two 
denominations,  one  seeking  almost  exclusively  to  give  tlie 

»Seep.  27.  'Seep.  94. 


216  THE  UNITED  BBETIIREN  IN  CHRIST 

gospel  to  the  Germans,  and  the  other  as  exclusively  to  the 
English,  there  should  arise  the  close  similarity  which  has 
characterized  the  two  churches.  Hence,  also,  while  the 
United  Brethren  Church  is  in  no  historic  sense  an  offshoot 
from  the  Methodist  Church,  its  origin  being  entirely  sepa- 
rate and  distinct,  its  typical  characteristics  have  naturally 
classed  it  with  the  Methodist  family  of  churches.  This 
fact  also  has  been  courteously  recognized  by  the  ]\Ietho- 
dist  Episcopal  Church  in  inviting  the  United  Brethren  to 
send  properly  accredited  delegates  to  the  Methodist  Ecu- 
menical Councils,  in  London  in  1881,  and  in  Washington 
City  in  1891,  invitations  which  were  accepted  in  the  same 
spirit  in  which  they  were  given. 

To  these  fraternal  relationships  between  the  Methodist 
and  United  Brethren  churches,  Dr.  J.  M.  Buckley,  in  his 
valuable  "  History  of  the  Methodists  in  the  United  States," 
just  published  as  the  fifth  volume  of  the  "American  Church 
History  Series,"  makes  this  friendly  allusion  :  "  The  United 
Brethren  in  Christ  is  supposed  by  many  to  be  a  branch 
of  American  Methodism.  The  association  between  their 
founders  and  the  similarity  of  their  origin  have  often 
been  noted.  When  Asbury  was  consecrated  to  the  ofiice 
of  bishop,  William  Otterbein,  who  more  than  any  other 
deserves  the  name  of  the  founder  of  the  United  Brethren, 
was  requested  by  Asbury  to  assist  in  the  service,  and  the 
affectionate  relation  continues  between  all  branches  of 
Methodism  and  the  United  Brethren."^ 

1  American  Church  History  Series,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  615,  616. 


Fourth  Period— i8i5-i837 

CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  — 1815 

I.   PREPARATION  FOR  THE  CONFERENCE. 

The  year  1815  marks  a  notable  era  in  the  history  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  as  that  in  which  the  first  General 
Conference  was  held.  The  two  annual  conferences,  the 
old  conference  of  the  East  and  the  Miami  of  the  West, 
were  widely  separated  geographically,  and  there  could  be 
but  little  interchange  of  attendance  of  members  of  either 
at  the  annual  sessions  of  the  other  beyond  that  of  an 
occasional  visit.  No  authorized  bishop  was  present  at  the 
sessions  of  the  Miami  Conference  until  after  the  election 
of  Bishop  Newcomer,  in  1813,  and  the  Discipline  as  then 
existing  did  not  constitute  a  strong  bond  of  union.  The 
Eastern  Conference,  since  its  first  regular  session  in  1800, 
had  been  accustomed  to  transact  all  business  for  the 
Church,  and  now  that  the  conference  of  the  West  had  rap- 
idly grown  into  strength  and  importance  it  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  its  position  was  not  sufficiently  recognized  by  the 
brethren  of  the  East.  This  may  have  been  especially 
the  case  when  the  old  conference  elected  a  bishop  in  the 
year  1813,  and  again  in  May,  1814,  and  also  when  it 
adopted  a  body  of  rules  for  the  government  of  the  Church. 
No  representatives  of  the  Western  conference  were  present 
to  bear  a  part  in  these  important  proceedings,  and  it  seems 
probable   that   the   Eastern   Conference,    relying   upon   its 

217 


218  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

past  prestige,  did   not   think    it   necessary  to   consult  the 
Western  brethren. 

However  this  may  have  been,  the  Miami  Conference,  at 
its  session  of  August,  1814,  uttered  a  protest  against  the 
Eules  of  Disciphne,  and  resolved  that  a  convention,  or 
General  Conference,  composed  of  delegates  representing 
all  portions  of  the  Church,  should  be  called  to  frame  a 
body  of  rules.  The  following  is  a  literal  translation  of 
a  portion  of  the  minutes  of  1814 : 

The  present  order  [  or  Discipline  ]  of  the  Church  was  taken  under 
consideration  and  protested  against.  ^  It  was  moved  and  adopted 
that  there  shall  be  a  convention,  and  that  two  members  from  each 
district  shall  assemble  at  Abraham  Draksel's  in  Westmoreland 
County.  The  districts  were  arranged  as  follows : «  .  .  .  The  dele- 
gates shall  come  together  November  2  ;  the  time,  however,  was  set 
forward  to  June  next  year.  This  convention  shall  fonn  a  church- 
constitution  for  the  Brethren. 

The  record  as  a  whole  gives  the  impression  that  con- 
siderable warmth  characterized  the  discussion. 

Mr.  Spayth,  in  his  history  of  the  Church,  makes  the 
follow^ing  statement  of  the  steps  leading  to  the  holding 
of  the  proposed  conference  : 

"The  conference  in  the  East  met  at  Hagerstown,  in 
Maryland,  May  24,  1814.  Here  the  demand  for  an  im- 
proved and  printed  Discipline  was  under  consideration, 
and  two  manuscript  copies  were  laid  on  the  table,  one  by 
Brother  Christopher  Grosch,  and  the  other  by  Brother  C. 
Newcomer.  A  General  Conference  was  anticipated,  but 
no  definite  action  was  had  in  the  premises,^  from  a  desire 
to  consult  the  conference  in  the  West,  which  w^as  to  meet 
at   the   house   of   Brother  Andrew   Zeller,    near    German- 

» The  reference  is  to  the  Discipline  adopted  earlier  in  the  year  by  the  Eastern 
Conference.  =See  p.  221. 

3 The  statement  that  "two  manuscript  copies"  for  a  proposed  Discipline 
"were  laid  on  the  table,"  and  that  "no  definite  action  was  had"  because  a 
General  Conference  was  anticipated,  is  to  be  taken  in  a  guarded  sense.  First, 
there  are  strong  indications  that  only  one  manuscript  copy  was  presented,  and 


THE  FIB  ST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  219 

town,  Ohio,  August  23,  1814.  Brother  C.  Newcomer  was 
requested  to  call  the  attention  of  that  conference  to  the 
contemplated  plan  of  a  General  Conference,  to  be  held  the 
ensuing  year,  leaving  the  mode  for  the  election  of  dele- 
gates to  the  Miami  Conference  to  determine.  This 
conference  most  cheerfully  took  up  the  subject,  and  recom- 
mended that  the  members  which  were  to  meet  in  General 
Conference  should  be  elected  from  among  the  preachers 
from  all  parts  of  the  Church,  by  a  majority  of  the  votes 
of  the  members  in  the  Church."^ 

Dr.  Drury,  who  has  given  most  careful  study  to  the  early 
records,  including  some  which  were  not  in  the  possession 
of  either  Mr.  Spayth  or  Mr.  Lawrence,  doubts  the  historical 
accuracy  of  this  statement  of  Mr.  Spayth.  In  an  article  in 
the  United  Brethren  Quarterly  Review'^  Dr.  Drury  says  : 

"It  may  be  observed  that  the  Eastern  Conference,  the 
only  conference  up  to  1810,  when  the  Miami  Conference 
was  formed,  transacted  all  of  the  business  for  the  Church, 
its  records,  however,  being  very  meager  and  defective.  In 
1814  the  Miami  Conference,  which  in  the  four  years  of  its 
existence  had  a  rapid  growth,  felt  itself  entitled  to  share 
in  the  government  of  the  Church,  and  therefore  proposed 
the  formation  of  a  General  Conference,  and  made  all  neces- 
sary arrangements  as  to  the  time  and  place  of  meeting 
and  the  mode  of  electing  delegates,  which  arrangements 
were  acquiesced  in  by  the  Eastern  Conference." 

Whatever  Mr.  Spayth's  knowledge  of  the  facts  may  have 
been,  it  is  well  known  that  his  education  was  chiefly  in  the 

that  this  copy  was  signed  by  Grosch  and  Newcomer;  and,  second,  there  are 
equally  strong  indications,  in  certain  features  which  were  afterward  changed 
or  eliminated,  that  this  Discipline  was  at  that  time  adopted,  becoming  the 
Discipline  called  the  Discipline  of  1814.  Of  these  is  Article  2,  which  provides  for 
the  election  of  bishops  every  three  years.  ( See  Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ,  18U-18U.)  Under  this  provision  Christian  Newcomer  was,  at  this  con- 
ference of  1814,  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop  for  three  years.  The  article  was 
amended  by  the  General  Conference  which  followed,  making  the  time  four  years. 
1  Spayth's  History,  p.  140.  2  Vol,  III.,  p.  35. 


220  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

German  language  (he  was  born  in  Germany),  and  quite 
defective  in  the  Enghsh,  so  that  the  manuscript  for  his 
history  had  to  undergo  severe  revision  before  it  could  be 
given  to  the  printer.  This  work  was  done  by  Mr.  Lawrence, 
who  was  allowed  to  use  great  liberty  with  the  manuscript. 

Two  or  three  things  may  here  be  said  :  First,  the  min- 
utes of  the  Eastern  Conference  for  1814,  or  any  other 
year,  are  absolutely  silent  as  to  any  contemplated  General 
Conference.  From  this,  therefore,  as  an  official  source, 
nothing  can  be  proved.  Second,  the  minutes  of  the  Miami 
Conference  contain  no  reference  to  any  communication, 
either  oral  or  in  writing,  from  the  Eastern  Conference 
relative  to  any  proposed  General  Conference.  The  entire 
record  of  the  Miami  Conference  is  that  which  has  been 
quoted  above,  together  with  that  relating  to  voting  districts 
for  the  election  of  delegates,  to  be  presently  referred  to. 

And  yet  this  silence  of  the  minutes  of  both  the  con- 
ferences is  not  to  be  taken  as  proof  conclusive  in  the 
premises.  The  minutes  of  the  Conference  of  1800  are 
equally  silent  as  to  the  election  of  Otterbein  and  Boehm 
as  bishops,  and  those  of  the  General  Conference  of  1815 
tell  us  nothing  of  the  essential  things  which  w^ere  done 
there,  the  very  object  for  which  the  conference  was 
assembled.  The  facts  in  these  instances  are  established 
by  evidence  from  independent  and  unofficial  sources.  A 
probable  solution  may  be  found  in  the  supposition  that 
the  brethren  of  the  Eastern  Conference  felt  some  mis- 
givings as  to  the  propriety  of  retaining  the  legislative 
functions  wholly  in  their  own  hands,  and  that  they  dis- 
cussed the  question  of  a  General  Conference  in  an 
unofficial  way,  with  the  understood  wish  that  Bishop 
Newcomer  convey  their  thoughts  to  the  brethren  of  the 
West,  while  no  record  of  their  discussion  or  action  on 
the  subject  was  made  in  the  minutes. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  221 

But  whether  the  statement  in  Mr.  Spayth's  history  be 
correct  or  not  in  regard  to  "leaving  the  mode  for  the 
election  of  delegates"  to  the  General  Conference  "to  the 
Miami  Conference  to  determine,"  it  is  certain  that  this  is 
what  the  Miami  Conference  did.  Referring  again  to  the 
official  record,  we  find  that  they  decided  to  divide  the  entire 
territory  of  the  Church  into  ten  districts,  each  district  to 
he  entitled  to  two  delegates.  The  following  are  the  dis- 
tricts, as  shown  by  the  minutes  :  First  district,  Baltimore  ; 
second,  Hagerstown  ;  third,  Carlisle ;  fourth,  Pennsylvania 
south  of  the  AUeghanies ;  fifth,  Pennsylvania  north  of 
the  AUeghanies  ;  sixth,  Muskingum  ;  seventh,  New  Lan- 
caster, Ohio ;  eighth,  Miami ;  ninth,  Indiana  and  Ken- 
tucky ;  tenth,  Virginia. 

Thus  earl}^  in  the  history  of  the  Church  was  the  entire 
membership  asked  to  give  expression  to  its  will  b}"  a 
popular  vote.  The  election  of  delegates  to  this  highest 
body,  the  General  Conference,  has  remained  permanently 
with  the  people.  Once  in  every  four  years  the  entire 
denomination  has  the  opportunity  for  uttering  its  voice, 
with  only  such  modification  of  methods  and  ratios  of 
representation  as  the  General  Conference  from  time  to 
time  may  deem  just,  thus  preserving  all  ultimate  power 
in  the  hands  of  the  people. 

A  further  and  very  important  reason  for  assembling 
a  General  Conference  lay  in  the  fact  that  the  Rules  of 
Discipline  existed  up  to  this  time  only  in  the  briefest 
form.  They  were  excellent  as  far  as  they  extended,  but 
quite  too  limited  in  the  ground  covered  to  meet  the  require- 
ments   of    a    growing    denomination.^     The    methods    of 

1  Of  the  number  of  followers  gathered  by  Otterbein  and  his  co-laborers,  dur- 
ing Otterbein's  life-time,  Bishop  Asbury  makes  this  estimate:  "We  feel  ourselves 
at  liberty  to  believe  that  these  German  heralds  of  grace  congregated  one  hundred 
thousand  souls;  that  they  have  had  twentj'  thousand  in  fellowship  and  com- 
munion, and  one  hundred  zealous  and  acceptable  preachers."  See  Dr.  Nathan 
Bangs 's  History  of  the  Methodist  Ejyiscopal  Church,  Vol.  II.,  p.  374;  also  pp.  370,  371. 


222  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

administration    needed    to    find    fuller    expression   in   an 

appropriate   way,  and  a   General    Conference  alone  could 

make  them  finally  authoritative.     In  addition  to  this  was 

the  fact  that  the  Discipline,  brief  as  it  was,  remained  as 

yet  unprinted.     This  proved  frequently  a  serious  hindrance 

to   the   preachers,   especially  when   going   into  the  places 

where  the  Church  was  unknown,  as  they  found  it  difficult 

to  answer  authoritatively  the  reasonable  inquiries  of   the 

people    concerning   the    Church   which    they   represented. 

The  Eastern  Conference  appreciated  this  difficulty,  and  at 

their  session  of  1813  placed  on  their  minutes  the  following 

action  : 

Resolved,  That  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Christian  Dis- 
cipline of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  be  printed. 

Whether  this  resolution  was  carried  into  effect  cannot 
now  be  known,  as  no  printed  copies  of  that  date  are  known 
to  exist.     The  same  is  true  also  of  the  Discipline  of  1814. 

II.   THE  CONFERENCE. 

The  election  of  delegates  to  the  General  Conference 
was  duly  held,  and  at  the  appointed  time,  June  6,  1815, 
fourteen  out  of  the  twenty  who  were  chosen  were  found 
to  be  present.  The  place  selected  for  the  conference, 
near  Mount  Pleasant,  in  Westmoreland  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  fairly  midway  between  the  eastern  and  western 
sections  of  the  Church.  The  delegates,  as  classified  by 
States,  were  found  to  be  as  follows  : 

Pennsylvania — Abraham  Mayer,  Henry  Kumler,  John 
Snyder,  Abraham  Draksel,  Christian  Berger. 

Maryland — Christian  Newcomer,  Jacob  Baulus. 
Virginia — Christian  Crum,  Isaac  Niswander,  Henry  G. 
Spayth. 

OUo — Andrew  Zeller,  Abraham  Hiestand,  Daniel  Troyer, 
George  Benedum. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  223 

Among  those  elected,  but  not  present  on  account  of  sick- 
ness, was  Joseph  Hoffman,  then  pastor  of  the  Otterbein 
Church,  in  Baltimore. 

The  place  of  meeting  was  a  country  school-house,  known 
as  John  Bonnet's,  a  very  humble  place  indeed  for  the 
assembling  of  this  body,  whose  counsels  were  to  affect 
the  faith  and  life  of  generations  of  devout  followers.  The 
location  is  about  one  mile  east  of  Mount  Pleasant,  on  the 
old  turnpike  road  leading  across  the  Alleghanies.  It  was 
named  for  Mr.  Bonnet,  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church.  Near  it  was  the  home  of  Abraham  Draksel,  then 
far  advanced  in  years.  The  great  beauty  of  the  natural 
scenery  about  the  place  has  been  often  remarked.  In  this 
secluded  spot,  far  from  the  great  city  with  its  lofty  spires 
and  deep-toned  bells,  its  daily  press  and  ubiquitous  re- 
porters, from  telegraph  wires  then  undreamed  of,  from  all 
the  imposing  circumstances  so  often  attending  important 
religious  assemblies,  this  body  of  ministers  met  to  dis- 
charge the  grave  trust  committed  to  them.  The  ministers 
themselves  were  men  of  humble  appearance,  as  were  the 
fishermen  and  tax-gatherers  who  followed  the  call  of 
Jesus  when  he  summoned  them  to  the  apostolate.  Some 
of  them,  of  Mennonite  antecedents,  adhered  to  the  plain 
garb  of  their  fathers,  and  might  have  thought  it  even 
sinful  to  dress  according  to  the  ways  of  "the  world,"  as 
did  their  brethren  of  a  sister  denomination,  whose  first 
General  Conference  forbade  giving  tickets  for  the  class- 
meeting  to  any  who  wore  fashionable  dress  or  superfluous 
ornaments. 

As  one  looks  over  the  list  of  names,  it  is  found,  too, 
that  none  were  distinguished  for  learning,  none  bore  titles 
as  doctors  of  divinity,  or  were  known  to  literature,  or 
eminent  in  any  special  sense  as  men  recognize  eminence. 
Yet  they  were  men  of  strong,  plain  sense,  well  versed  in 


224  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  Scriptures  which  they  preached,  famihar  with  the 
fundamental  elements  of  Christian  doctrine,  and,  withal, 
devout,  earnest,  laborious,  faithful  servants  of  the  gospel 
to  whose  promulgation  they  were  called.  Not  widely 
different,  indeed,  were  they  from  that  company  of  plain 
toilers  whom  Jesus  gathered  about  him,  and  to  whom  he 
committed  the  building  of  the  kingdom  after  his  departure. 
Nearly  or  perhaps  quite  all  of  them  had  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  Otterbein ;  all  of  them  possessed  something  of 
the  spirit  which  he  infused  into  the  hearts  of  his  followers. 

Bishop  Newcomer  presided,  Andrew  Zeller  assisting. 
Mr.  Zeller  opened  the  session  with  Scripture  reading  and 
prayer.  Jacob  Baulus  and  Henry  G.  Spayth  were  then 
elected  secretaries,  and  the  first  General  Conference  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church  was  organized  for  business.  As 
the  brethren  looked  upon  one  another,  they  felt  sadly  the 
loss  of  the  great  leaders  who  had  been  transferred  to  the 
church  triumphant.  Good  men  indeed  were  they  who 
sat  at  the  head,  but  all  missed  the  majestic  personality 
of  Otterbein,  the  saintly  presence  of  Boehm,  and  the 
magnetic  power  of  the  eloquent  Guething.  Indeed,  for 
a  time,  the  conference,  in  the  absence  of  strong  leadership, 
seems  to  have  had  rough  sailing — more  discord  in  the 
proceedings  than  harmony.  So  says  Mr.  Spayth,  and  so 
notes  Newcomer  in  his  diary.  Perhaps  it  may  not  be  amiss 
to  hear  ^Ir.  Spayth  tell  of  this  storm  which  seemed  to 
threaten  the  conference,  and  of  the  shining  out  of  the 
bright  rainbow  of  peace  : 

"Nor  will  we  disguise  the  truth,"  says  Mr.  Spayth  in 
his  history  ;  "the  sky  was  not  exactly  clear.  A  heav}^ 
atmosphere  would  ever  and  anon  press  and  swell  the 
bosom,  and  then  came  ruffling  breezes  and  sharp  words. 
This  could  not  last  long.  The  darkening  clouds  which 
hung  over  the  conference  must  be  cleared  away.     A  calm 


THE  FIBST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  225 

atmosphere  and  a  clear  sky  could  not  be  dispensed  with. 
A  pause  ensued.  The  conference  agreed  to  humble  them- 
selves before  God  in  prayer.  And  such  a  prayer-meeting 
your  humble  servant  never  witnessed  before  nor  since. 
Brethren  with  streaming  eyes  embraced  and  thanked 
God.  From  that  hour  to  the  end  unanimity  and  love 
smiled  joyously  on  that  assembly. 

"Permit  a  special  notice  here.  Nothing  perhaps  was 
anticipated  with  greater  certainty  by  any  delegate  in 
going  to  that  conference,  than  that  the  meeting  should 
take  place  in  the  sweetest  and  most  humble  subordination 
to  each  other,  each  esteeming  his  brother  higher  than 
himself,  and  worthy  of  more  honor.  But  the  spirit  of  the 
children  of  Zebedee  and  their  mother  is  still  visible  on 
such  occasions,  and  never  more  so  than  when  wise  and 
good  rulers,  either  in  church  or  state,  are  removed  by 
death.  For  who  should  have  sufficient  wisdom,  who 
should  be  so  well  qualified  to  take  the  helm  and  guide 
the  vessel  safely  as  the  Zebedees?  And  should  a  doubt 
be  raised,  they  are  ready  to  answer.  We  are  able. 

"Our  last  word  when  we  made  the  digression  was, 
*  smiled  joyously  on  that  assembly.^  Here  were  dear 
brethren  who  had  stood  long  and  stood  firmly  in  the  cause 
of  God  and  man.  The  spirit  of  ambition  had  vanished  ; 
its  shadow  was  seen  no  more.  The  brethren,  it  was 
manifest,  had  but  one  eye,  one  ear,  one  soul,  one  great 
thought,  and  that  was  to  form  a  Discipline  containing 
the  fewest  sections  or  divisions  practicable,  and  in  as  few 
words  as  the  grave  subject  would  admit  of,  in  order  to 
convey  the  sense  and  meaning  of  church  rules,  as  held 
by  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

"After  mature  deliberation,  the  conference  found  it  good 
and  expedient  to  deliver  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Rules 
of  Discipline  to  the  Church,  in  love  and  humility,  with  the 


226  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

sincere  desire  that  the  doctrine  and  rules,  together  with  the 
Word  of  God,  might  be  attended  to  and  strictly  observed."^ 

III.      THE    CONFESSION    OF    FAITH    AND    RULES    OF    DISCIPLINE 

OF   1815. 

The  Book  of  Discipline,  as  agreed  upon  and  set  forth 
by  this  first  General  Conference,  comprises  two  parts, 
namely,  first,  a  Confession  of  Faith,  and,  secondly,  a 
body  of  rules  for  the  government  of  the  Church.  Both 
the  Confession  and  the  rules  are  based  upon  the  earlier 
body  called  the  Discipline  of  1814,  but  which  existed  in 
1813.  The  Confession  was  substantially  that  adopted  by 
the  Conference  of  1789.  The  rules  also  are  distinctly 
traced  back  through  the  earlier  Disciplines  to  the  rules 
adopted  for  Otterbein's  church  in  1785.^ 

The  introduction  to  the  Discipline  as  adopted  by  this 
General  Conference  is  a  historical  statement  which  is 
preserved  in  the  introductory  statement  as  found  in  our 
Discipline  now.  Then  follows  "Section  First,"  the  "Con- 
fession of  Faith,"  and  after  it  seven  additional  sections, 
the  Rules  of  Discipline  proper.  No  practical  movement 
was  made  for  the  adoption  of  a  constitution  until  the 
conferences  of  1837  and  1841. 

The  Confession  of  Faith,  as  adopted  by  the  conference, 
is  brief,  simple,  comprehensive,  and  really  beautiful,  lack- 
ing in  some  essentials  of  a  compact  statement  of  Christian 
doctrine,  and  yet  worthy  of  a  most  honorable  place  among 
the  creeds  which  have  been  framed  through  the  ages  to 
express  Christian  belief.  The  whole  is  comprised  in  seven 
articles,  as  follows  : 

[1.]  In  the  name  of  God  we  confess  before  aU  men,  that  we 
believe  in  the  only  true  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  that 

1  Spayth's  History,  pp.  150,  151. 

'For  a  fuller  presentation  of  this  see  Professor  Drury's  Introduction  to 
Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  18U-18U. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  227 

these  three  are  one,  the  Father  in  the  Son,  the  Son  in  the  Father, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  with  both  ;  that  this  triune 
God  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  visible  as  well 
as  invisible,  sustains,  governs,  protects,  and  supports  the  same. 

[2.]  We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  ;  that  he  is  very  God  and  man  ; 
that  he,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  assumed  his  human  nature  in  Mary, 
and  was  born  of  her ;  that  he  is  the  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  the 
whole  human  race,  if  they  with  faith  in  him  accept  the  grace 
proffered  in  Jesus  ;  that  this  Jesus  suffered  and  died  on  the  cross 
for  us,  was  buried,  rose  again  on  the  third  day,  ascended  into  heaven, 
and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God  to  intercede  for  us  ;  and  that  he 
shall  come  again  at  the  last  day,  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead. 

[3.]  We  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that  he  is  equal  in  being 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son ;  that  he  proceeds  from  both  ;  that  we 
are  through  him  enlightened ;  through  faith  justified  and  sanctified. 

[4.]  We  believe  in  a  holy  church,  communion  of  saints,  resurrec- 
tion of  the  flesh,  and  a  life  everlasting. 

[5.]  We  believe  that  the  Bible,  Old  and  New  Testament,  is  the 
word  of  God  ;  that  it  contains  the  true  way  to  our  salvation ;  that 
every  true  Christian  is  bound  to  receive  it,  with  the  influences  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  as  his  only  rule,  and  that  without  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
true  penitence,  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  following  after  Christ,  no  one 
can  be  a  true  Christian. 

[6.]  We  believe  that  the  doctrine  which  the  Holy  Scriptures  con- 
tain, namely,  the  fall  in  Adam  and  the  redemption  through  Jesus 
Christ,  shall  be  preached  throughout  the  whole  world. 

[7.]  We  believe  that  the  outward  means  of  grace  are  to  be  in 
use  in  all  Christian  societies ;  namely :  that  baptism  and  the  remem- 
brance of  the  death  of  the  Lord  in  the  distribution  of  the  bread  and 
wine  are  to  be  in  use  among  his  children,  according  to  the  command 
of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  the  mode  and  manner,  however,  shall  be  left  to 
the  judgment  of  every  one.  Also,  the  example  of  feet-washing 
remains  free  to  every  one. 

After  this  follow  seven  additional  sections,  comprehend- 
ing the  Rules  of  Discipline,  very  complete  in  their  pro- 
visions for  the  government  of  a  church  whose  life  was  yet 
in  the  simplicity  of  its  earlier  years.  The  first  of  these, 
"Section  Second,"  relates  to  the  General  and  annual  confer- 
ences. The  General  Conference  is  to  be  held  every  four 
years.  This  is  the  general  provision.  This  conference 
itself,  however,  provided  for  a  session  to  be  held  after  two 


228  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

years,  for  an  earlier  and  fuller  consideration  of  some  of  the 
things  done  by  it.  The  third  section  refers  to  bishops — 
their  election,  ordination,  powers,  and  duties.  The  feature 
providing  for  a  special  ordination  for  bishops  was  stricken 
out  in  1825  as  being  not  supported,  as  was  believed,  by 
Scripture  precedent.  The  remaining  sections,  from  four 
to  eight,  refer  to  presiding  elders,  their  election  and  func- 
tions, to  elders,  their  ordination  and  duties,  to  preachers 
generally,  the  method  of  receiving  them,  their  office  and 
duties,  to  method  of  procedure  against  preachers  in  case 
of  immoral  conduct,  and  to  members  in  general.  The 
whole  is  very  succinctly  stated,  and  is  essentially  the  same 
as  found  in  the  Discipline  now  on  these  subjects,  only  such 
modifications  having  been  made  from  time  to  time  as  were 
suggested  by  experience. 

The  Discipline  as  thus  formed  was  ordered  to  be  printed. 
The  publication  seems  to  have  been  deferred  until  the  year 
following,  and  hence  the  title-page  of  this  first  printed 
Discipline,  as  previously  stated,  bears  the   date   of  1816.^ 

It  should  be  observed  here  that  this  General  Conference 
did  not  take  it  upon  itself  to  create  a  new  Confession  of 
Faith,  or  to  make  new  rules  for  the  government  of  the 
Church.  The  Confession  of  Faith  varies  but  slightly  in 
expression  from  the  admirable  instrument  adopted  by  the 
Conference  of  1789,  in  which  the  skillful  hand  of  Otterbein 
was  so  plainly  visible.  And  the  rules  are  simply  a  well- 
crystallized  expression  of  the  previous  practice  of  the 
Church.  The  itinerant  system  of  ministerial  supply, 
already  so  well  tested  for  its  efficiency,  was  more  clearly 
defined  and  adopted  as  the  settled  policy  of  the  Church. 
The  essential  features  of  this  system  included  bishops, 
presiding  elders,  and  pastors. 

It  is  noticeable  that  the  same  spirit  of   generous   and 

>  See  p.  166. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  229 

brotherly  concession  was  manifest  in  this  first  General 
Conference  as  in  the  Conference  of  1789.  The  freedom 
of  conscience,  for  example,  as  to  mode  of  baptism,  was 
again  distinctly  provided  for,  so  that  those  deriving  their 
church  lineage  and  education  from  Reformed  sources  could 
be  free  to  sprinkle,  and  those  from  Mennonite  or  other 
sources  could  baptize  by  pouring  or  immersion.^ 

IV.       RESULTS    OF    THE    CONFERENCE. 

The  beneficial  results  following  the  first  General  Con- 
ference were  most  marked.  There  had  been,  since  the 
death  of  Otterbein,  a  somewhat  widespread  feeling  of 
doubt  as  to  whether  the  Church  would  be  able  to  hold 
permanently  together.  This  feeling  was  the  stronger 
because  within  so  brief  a  jDeriod  the  three  most  distin- 
guished leaders  had  been  removed  by  death.  Others, 
indeed,  remained,  or  were  soon  to  rise  up  and  take  their 
places,  but  they  were  as  yet  untried.  The  government  of 
the  Church,  which  had  before  derived  its  strength  from 
its  leaders  rather  than  from  a  well-crystallized  system, 
was  now  actually  weak.  The  itinerant  system,  so  far, 
existed  chiefiy  in  name,  the  preachers,  nearly  all, — though 
many  of  them  traveled  extensively, — being  classed  as 
local.  Many  of  these  men,  indeed,  were  almost  con- 
stantly in  the  work  of  preaching,  but  not  as  members 
of  an  organized  system.  Other  elements  of  weakness 
existed,  some  of  which  were  becoming  quite  apparent. 
Large  hope  was  entertained  as  to  the  influence  which  a 
General  Conference  might  exert  in  building  the  Church 
into  strength,  and  these  hopes  were  not  doomed  to  disap- 
pointment. As  a  bond  of  union  for  the  widely  separated 
sections  of  the  Church,  as  well  as  in  providing  wisely  for 
its  government  and  the  operation  of  its  working  machinery, 

*  See  earliest  Confession  of  Faith,  with  remarks  thereon,  p.  137  ft. 


230  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  influence  of  the  conference  upon  the  Church  was  most 
beneficent,  and  it  was  felt  that  henceforth  ministers  and 
people  could  address  themselves  to  their  w^ork  with  new 
assurance  as  to  the  future. 

V.   THE  GERMAN  THE  EARLY  LANGUAGE  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  note  here  that  the  business  of 
this  General  Conference,  as  of  several  others  that  followed, 
was  conducted  entirely  in  the  German  language.  The 
German,  as  has  been  heretofore  stated,  was  the  language 
of  the  fathers  of  the  Church.  Otterbein,  Boehm,  and 
Guething  used  the  German  exclusively.  Their  mission 
was  to  the  German  population  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland, 
and  Virginia.  The  preachers  w^ho  arose  from  among  their 
converts  spoke  the  same  tongue  and  extended  the  work 
among  others  speaking  the  same  language.  The  first 
printed  Discipline,  that  of  1815,  appeared  only  in  the 
German.  But  about  this  time  a  good  many  of  the  min- 
isters began  preaching  also  in  the  English  language,  while 
some  came  forward  who  used  the  English  only.  The 
General  Conference  of  1817,  therefore,  ordered  a  transla- 
tion to  be  made,  and  accordingly  in  1819,  after  a  delay 
of  two  years,  the  book  appeared  in  the  English  also,  the 
German  and  the  English  being  printed  on  opposite  pages. 
As  Mr.  Spayth  was  secretary  of  the  conference,  the  trans- 
lation is  believed  to  have  been  his  work.  The  German 
continued  to  be  the  predominant  language  in  the  General 
Conference  until  1833.  In  1837  the  Discipline  appeared 
first  in  English,  and  the  German  version  as  a  translation.^ 

The  long  delay  of  the  Church  in  adopting  the  English 
as  its  principal  tongue  operated  greatly  against  its  growth. 
By  an  unavoidable  necessity  its  field  was  narrowed,  the 

*  See  Professor  Drury's  Introduction  to  Disciplines  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  1S1U-18U1,  p.  ix. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  231 

German  population  always  constituting  but  a  small  frac- 
tion of  the  whole.  The  German-speaking  people,  too, 
were  less  progressive  than  their  English  neighbors,  and 
this  conservatism  militated  against  a  more  rapid  expan- 
sion. There  was  a  constant  tendency  also  among  the 
Germans,  just  as  we  find  it  now,  to  drift  over  into  the 
English.  The  children  of  the  German  families  were 
steadily  breaking  away  from  the  old  moorings  and  find- 
ing homes  in  the  English-speaking  churches.  The  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  from  its  close  resemblance  to  the 
United  Brethren  in  doctrine,  polity,  and  general  church  life, 
and  from  the  intimate  association  of  the  ministers  and 
people  of  the  two  denominations,  naturally  gained  by  far 
the  largest  share,  while  others  gained   in  lesser  numbers. 

When  once  the  transition  from  the  German  to  the  English 
became  pronounced,  the  increase  in  membership  began  to 
proceed  rapidly.  A  study  of  the  statistics  for  the  last  half 
century  presents  in  this  regard  some  interesting  features. 
Perhaps  the  fact  is  now  rather  to  be  deplored  that  the  Ger- 
man has  fallen  so  largely  into  the  background.  From  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  German  in  the  earlier  years  of  the 
Church  the  change  is  so  extreme  that  at  the  present  time  less 
than  four  per  cent,  of  the  congregations  use  that  language. 

The  transition  to  the  English  naturally  placed  the 
Church  in  a  position  to  spread  its  work  among  the  people 
of  original  English  descent,  and  so  to  draw  large  accessions 
from  that  source.  But  the  fact  remains  unchanged  that 
a  great  part  of  its  people  are  the  descendants  of  the  early 
German  settlers,  chiefly  in  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland. 
These  as  a  class,  exiles  in  great  part  because  of  religious 
persecutions  in  the  old  countries,  were  a  people  possessing 
strength  of  character,  high  moral  qualities,  self-reliance, 
and  thrift,  and  furnished  through  their  descendants  a  great 
proportion   of  the  best  citizenship  of  the   States  of  their 


232  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

original   settlement,  as  well   as   throughout   the   southern 
half  of  Ohio  and  westward. 

VI.      PERSONAL   NOTES. 

Before  passing  on  from  this  first  General  Conference  it 
will  be  fitting  to  pause  and  make  a  little  closer  acquaint- 
ance with  the  men  who  constituted  this  historic  assembly. 

1.  Christian  Newcomer, 
We  have  already  seen  that  Christian  Newcomer,  after 
the  death  of  Bishop  Boehm,  was  elected  his  successor. 
This  election  was  made  in  1813,  by  the  conference  of  the 
East,  for  one  year.  In  1814  he  was  reelected  for  a  term 
of  three  years.  The  General  Conference  convening  in 
1815,  being  higher  in  authority,  elected  him  again  for 
the  two  remaining  years  of  the  term.  In  1817,  and  by 
each  General  Conference  subsequently,  he  was  elected  for 
quadrennial  terms,  until  death  closed  his  labors  in  March, 
1830.  His  life  was  one  of  the  greatest  activity.  In  the 
constancy  and  extent  of  his  travels  he  surpassed  all  others 
of  the  early  ministers  of  the  Church.  As  earlier  remarked, 
he  was  ever  in  the  saddle,  visiting  congregations  in  Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland,  and  Virginia,  making  frequent  trips 
across  the  mountains  into  western  Pennsylvania  and  over 
into  Ohio,  and  a  few  times  into  Indiana  and  Kentucky, 
holding  annual  conferences,  visiting  camp-  and  other  great 
meetings,  preaching  to  large  and  small  congregations,  often 
two  and  three  times  a  day.  The  last  summer  of  his  life, 
when  in  his  eightieth  year,  he  attended  no  less  than  eight 
camp-meetings,  preaching    and    otherwise    assisting  at    all 

of  them. 

Bishop  Newcomer's  Journal,  beginning  in  1795,  and  con- 
tinuing to  his  death,  though  intended  by  him  only  as  a 
diary  for  his  own  private  use,  and  never  for  publication, 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  233 

has  proved  invaluable  as  a  source  of  much  that  remains 
to  us  of  early  United  Brethren  history.  It  is  prefaced  by 
a  brief  autobiography,  written  in  his  eighty-first  year.  The 
notes,  on  account  of  their  extreme  brevity,  are  often  disap- 
pointing, because  they  leave  so  much  unsaid  that  we  want 
to  know.  But  as  they  were  written  for  his  own  use  only, 
no  one,  it  may  be  supposed,  has  a  right  to  complain,  but 
there  is  cause  rather  for  gratitude  that  so  much  of  valuable 
material  is  left  us.  The  records  breathe  a  spirit  of  deep 
piety,  and  are  characterized  by  cheerfulness  and  much 
spiritual  rejoicing.  This  sweet  spirit  of  gladness  he  re- 
tained quite  to  the  end  of  his  life.  Among  the  notes  near 
the  close  of  the  Journal  is  found,  for  example,  the  follow- 
ing :  "  This  day  I  am  so  unwell  that  I  am  not  able  to 
leave  my  room.  But,  glory  to  my  God,  I  can  have  sweet 
communion  with  him.  Though  solitary,  I  am  not  left 
alone.  My  Saviour  is  still  with  me,  and  continues  the 
best  of  friends.  Oh,  how  blessed  is  the  condition  of  aged 
people,  when  they  know  that  they  have  a  reconciled  God 
and  Saviour." 

The  last  entry  in  his  Journal  was  made  on  March  4, 
just  eight  days  before  his  death,  with  an  evident  pre- 
sentiment that  the  end  was  near.  On  March  1,  still 
retaining  his  buoyancy  of  spirit  and  his  strong  desire  to 
be  active  in  the  Lord's  work,  he  had  started  to  make  a 
trip  into  Virginia.  Proceeding  as  far  as  Boonsborough, 
Maryland,  he  remained  for  the  night.  On  the  following 
morning,  finding  himself  quite  ill,  he  gave  up  his  intended 
journey  and  returned  to  his  home.  His  strength  now 
declined  rapidly,  and  on  the  12th  he  answered  the  final 
call.  His  end  was  peaceful  and  blessed.  Just  before  his 
death  he  requested  a  brother  who  was  present  to  pray  with 
him  once  more.  Without  asking  assistance  he  arose  from 
his  bed  and  knelt  down  to  join  in  the  prayer.     Rising,  he 


234  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

sought  his  couch  again,  and  in  a  few  moments  his  freed 
spirit  passed  on  into  the  presence  of  the  Master  whom 
he  had  so  devotedly  served.  Rev.  Henry  Kumler,  Sen., 
afterward  bishop,  preached  his  funeral  sermon  in  the 
German  language.  Rev.  John  Zahn  following  in  English. 
It  may  be  truthfully  said  that  from  the  time  of  the 
death  of  the  first  great  leaders,  Otterbein,  Guething,  and 
Boehm,  no  other  man  in  the  denomination  exerted  so 
great  an  influence  in  building  it  up  as  did  Bishop  New- 
comer. He  had  just  passed  his  eighty-first  year  when  the 
messenger  came. 

2.     Andreiu  Zeller. 

Next  to  Bishop  Newcomer  in  this  conference  stood 
Andrew  Zeller,  who  was  first  made  associate  chairman, 
and  then  elected  bishop.  In  1817  he  was  again  elected 
to  this  office,  after  which,  on  account  of  his  advancing 
years,  he  declined  a  further  reelection,  having  served  six 
years  in  all.  His  conversion  is  dated  at  about  1790.  In 
1806  he  came  to  Ohio,  then  regarded  as  the  "far  west," 
settling  near  Germantown,  in  Montgomery  County,  about 
twelve  miles  from  Dayton.  In  1810  he  was  present  at 
the  meeting  in  Ross  County  where  the  Miami  Conference 
was  organized.  He  was  one  of  the  four  representatives 
from  Ohio  in  the  first  General  Conference.  He  is  de- 
scribed as  a  preacher  of  modest  abilities,  "mild,  plain, 
and  evangelical."  But  to  this  it  is  added  that  "his  life 
was  a  sermon."  His  earnest,  devout  spirit  impressed  itself 
deeply  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  others.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  this  Mr.  Spaytli  relates  that  while  he  was  on 
an  official  tour,  in  1815,  he  had  occasion  to  stop  in  a  place 
to  have  a  small  piece  of  work  done.  The  mechanic  was 
a  worthy  man,  but  declined  to  attend  church,  or  hear  the 
gospel  preached.     As  he  was   proceeding  with   his  work. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  235 

he  cast  a  casual  glance  toward  Bishop  Zeller,  who  stood 
at  a  little  distance  with  his  hands  folded.  He  was  im- 
pressed by  the  appearance  of  the  bishop,  and  could  not 
resist  a  second  and  third  look.  Soon  afterward  a  deep 
conviction  of  sin  seized  upon  him,  and  he  found  no  rest 
until  he  found  it  in  Christ.  Through  this  incident,  gra- 
ciously used  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  and  his  household 
became  devout  believers. 

Bishop  Zeller's  influence  in  the  early  days  of  the  Miami 
Conference  told  strongly  for  its  welfare.  A  number  of  its 
earlier  sessions  were  held  in  his  hospitable  home,  and  a 
session  was  in  progress  in  Germantown  at  the  time  of  his 
decease.  He  was  then  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age, 
and  when  some  of  the  brethren  who  visited  him  inquired 
of  him  if  he  thought  the  end  was  nigh,  he  replied, 
brightening  up,  "I  hope  so."  In  speaking  of  him  Mr. 
Spayth  says  :  "  What  a  contrast  between  what  men  call 
great  preachers  and  what  God  approves.  One  hears  the 
echo  of  applause ;  the  other  is  followed  by  a  train  of 
happy  souls  bound  to  meet  in  heaven.  We  now  see 
through  a  glass  darkly  ;  fleeting  visions  pass  before  and 
around  us  which  will  prove  happy  realities  when  the  veil 
shall  be  lifted,  and  we  shall  see  the  saints,  who  are  the 
joy  and  diadem  of  the  true  minister,  reflecting  the  light 
of  Jesus  Christ."^ 

Mr.  Lawrence,  in  writing  of  Bishop  Zeller,  says :  "As 
he  appeared  at  fourscore,  he  is  described  as  a  little 
above  the  medium  height,  and  remarkably  straight ;  hair 
white,  and,  on  the  top  of  his  head,  thin  ;  eyes  gray  and 
full,  and  skin  very  fair.  To  the  last  year  of  his  life  he 
walked  perfectly  erect,  and  with  a  quick  and  measured 
step."  2 

Bishop   Zeller's  death  occurred  on  May  25,  1839.     His 

» Spayth 's  History/,  p.  191.  *  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  75,  76. 


236  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

remains  were  laid  to  rest  on  an  elevated  spot  of  land,  near 
Germantown,  to  await  the  final  summons  to  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  just. 

3.     Henry  Kuraler,  Sen. 

Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  was  of  Swiss  parentage,  his  father 
having  been  born  in  Switzerland.  The  family,  on  arriving 
in  America,  seems  to  have  settled  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania.  Henry  was  born  on  January  3,  1775.  His 
parents  being  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  he  was 
brought  up  in  that  church.  About  the  year  1810  he 
removed  to  a  farm  near  Greencastle,  where  his  conversion 
occurred.  In  a  brief  sketch  of  his  life^  he  tells  of  the 
protracted  struggle  he  had  before  he  finally  found  the  light. 
In  1813  he  united  with  the  Eastern  Conference,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach.  The  session  was  held  at  Hagerstown, 
Maryland.  The  following  year  the  conference  convened  at 
his  house,  and  after  this  he  frequently  accompanied  Henry 
G.  Spayth,  Abraham  Mayer,  and  others  on  preaching  tours. 
When  the  delegates  for  the  first  General  Conference  were 
elected,  he  was  among  the  number  chosen.  Four  years  later, 
in  1819,  he  removed  to  Ohio,  settling  on  a  fertile  farm, 
near  Trenton,  in  Butler  County.  His  residence  remained 
here  until  death  closed  his  career.  In  1825  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  bishop,  in  which  relation  he  served  for  five 
consecutive  terms,  a  period  of  twenty  years.  Having 
reached  the  age  of  seventy-one,  and  being  no  longer  able  to 
perform  the  long  horseback  journeys  required  in  those  days, 
he  was  released  from  further  continuance  in  that  form  of  toil. 

He  was  the  father  of  a  large  famih^,  seven  sons  and 
five  daughters.  His  oldest  sons,  Henry  and  Daniel  C, 
became  ministers,  Henry  becoming  also  a  bishop.  Ex- 
Bishop  D.  K.  Flickinger  is  a  grandson  of  the  first  Bishop 

»  Unity  Magazine,  Vol.  I.,  p.  161. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  237 

Kumler.  A  number  of  others  of  his  descendants  have 
risen  to  positions  of  distinction  in  civil  and  rehgious  Hfe. 
Bishop  Kumler  was  an  earnest  preacher,  soulful,  tender, 
and  effective.  Socially,  he  was  cheerful  and  agreeable,  his 
conversation  frequently  abounding  in  pleasantries,  a  char- 
acteristic which  has  been  strongly  transmitted  to  his  now 
very  numerous  family.  With  his  general  conversation  he 
was  accustomed  to  mingle  earnest  spiritual  counsel.  He 
preached  throughout  his  life  only  in  the  German  lan- 
guage, a  few  attempts  at  the  EngHsh  satisfying  him  that 
his  ministry  was  not  to  find  expression  in  that  tongue. 
He  was  noted  for  his  abounding  generosity.  It  was 
not  an  unusual  thing  for  him  to  entertain  an  entire  con- 
ference at  his  house.  He  died  on  January  8,  1854,  having 
just  entered  his  eightieth  year.  His  influence,  with  that 
of  his  family,  contributed  largely  toward  building  up  the 
United  Brethren  Church  in  southwestern  Ohio. 

4-.      Other  Laborers. 

Daniel  Troyer  was  another  of  the  earlier  pioneers  of  the 
Church.  He  was  born  in  1769,  in  Maryland.  When  a 
young  man  he  was  on  an  occasion  an  interested  listener 
to  Mr.  Newcomer.  He  next  attended  a  sacramental  meet- 
ing at  Antietam.  Bishop  Otterbein  preached  the  sermon 
and  conducted  the  service.  At  the  close  he  invited  all 
who  desired  the  prayers  of  God's  people  to  come  forward 
and  give  him  their  hands.  Many  responded,  weeping, 
among  them  Mr.  Troyer,  his  joyful  conversion  following 
soon  after.  In  1806  he  removed  west,  settling  in  the 
Miami  Valley,  Ohio.  He  was  present  at  the  organization 
of  the  Miami  Conference  in  1810,  becoming  one  of  its 
members.  In  1812  he  went  into  the  active  itinerant  serv- 
ice. "As  a  preacher,"  wrote  Rev.  George  Bonebrake,  "he 
was,  in   his  earlier   years,   a  man  of   power.     He   had  a 


238 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 


very  strong  voice,  and  great  zeal ;  and  at  large  meetings, 
when  it  became  necessary  to  divide  the  congregation,  the 
people  would  generally  ask,  'Where  will  Brother  Troyer 
preach?'  and  on  such  occasions  he  always  had  his  full 
share  of  tlie  hearers."  ^  Prof.  Henry  Garst,  D.D.,  of  Otter- 
bein  University,  who  was  born  and  brought  up  near  the 
home  of  Mr.  Troyer,  remembers  him  distinctly  as  he 
appeared  in  his  old  age.  He  describes  him  as  short  and 
heavy-set  in  person,  with  round  face  and  kindly  expression. 
Mr.  Troyer  lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-four  years, 
dying  in  1863.  Dr.  Garst  says  that  "when  the  weight  of 
years  no  longer  permitted  him  to  go  to  the  house  of 
worship,  he  requested  that  the  class  of  which  he  was  a 
member  meet  regularly  at  his  home  in  Germantown." 
Dr.  Garst,  as  a  boy,  "often  attended  these  meetings, 
and  vividly  remembers  how  he  used  to  be 'Stirred  by  the 
words  of  instruction,  warning,  and  encouragement  Father 
Troyer,  sitting  in  his  great  arm-chair,  would  utter." - 

Christian  Berger  became  a  member  of  the  original  con- 
ference as  early  as  1802.  Mr.  Spayth  says  that  "his 
preaching  commenced  in  Washington  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  the  fruit  of  his  preaching  Christ,  to  use  a 
figure,  still  waves  in  succession  like  a  handful  of  corn  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  His  voice  was  as  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness.  .  .  .  Indefatigable  in  his  preaching, 
he  was  one  of  those  brethren  who  endured  much  for  the 
gospel,  in  weariness,  painfulness,  and  watchings,  a  man 
tried  in  the  fire.  His  hire  was  the  salvation  of  souls. 
The  great  day  will  present  his  great  reward."^  Mr.  Spayth 
further  described  him  as  a  man  of  most  devout  spirit, 
earnest,  laborious,  always  in  deep  poverty,  yet  always 
cheerfully    toihng.      He   was   among   the   earliest   of    the 

» Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  pp.,  90,  91. 

*  Pioneer  Address,  by  Dr.  Henry  Garst,  before  the  Miami  Conference,  1896. 

^Spayth's  History,  p.  188. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  239 

United  Brethren  ministers  in  western  Pennsylvania,  in 
Westmoreland  and  other  counties,  and  in  northeastern 
Ohio.  His  conversion  occurred  in  a  barn  on  the  farm 
of  a  Mr.  Dundore,  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  the 
type  of  church-house  in  so  common  use  in  those  earlier 
days,  and  in  which  so  many  souls  were  brought  to  the 
Saviour,  who  once  was  cradled  in  a  manger.  A  meeting 
having  been  appointed,  he  hid  himself  in  the  loft  to 
observe  what  would  transpire  below.  As  the  meeting 
grew  warm,  the  people  were  startled  by  loud  cries  and 
prayers  from  above.  He  was  presently  brought  down, 
and  ere  long  rejoiced  in  the  new-found  salvation.  His 
ministerial  career  began  soon  afterward.  His  name  ap- 
pears again  as  a  member  of  the  General  Conference  of 
1825. 

The  name  of  Jacob  Baulus  is  among  those  which  appear 
the  most  frequently  in  the  early  church  records,  many 
allusions  to  him  occurring  in  Newcomer's  Journal.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  efficient  of  the  preachers  of  Mary- 
land. In  1822  he  removed  west,  settling  near  Fremont, 
Ohio.  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  speaking  of  him,  says :  "  His 
home  was  located  in  the  deep,  dark  forests  of  the  Black 
Swamp.  Wild  game  and  wild  men  abounded.  He  was 
the  first  evangelical  minister  in  that  section  of  the  coun- 
try ;  and  he  not  only  preached  to  the  new  settlers  when- 
ever opportunity  was  offered,  but  he  opened  his  house  and 
spread  his  table  for  evangelical  ministers  of  all  denomi- 
nations."^ By  his  early  advent  and  labors  in  that  part  of 
the  State  of  Ohio  he  became  the  father  of  the  Sandusky 
Conference.  The  sturdy  character  of  the  men  who  gathered 
about  him,  as  of  those  who  have  followed  in  their  steps, 
indicates  how  wisely  and  efficiently  he  laid  the  foundations 
of   the   Church  in  that   region.     That   part   of   the  State 

1  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  p.  299. 


240  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

was  originally  included  in  the  territory  set  off  for  the 
Muskingum  Conference. 

George  Benedum,  one  of  the  Ohio  delegates  in  the 
General  Conference  of  1815,  was  among  the  early  fruits 
of  the  revival  in  Pennsylvania.  He  became  a  minister 
among  the  United  Brethren  in  1794,  being  then  in  the 
twenty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  In  the  year  1804  his  name 
appeared  for  the  last  time  as  present  at  a  session  of  the  old 
conference,  and  his  removal  to  Ohio  must  have  occurred 
not  long  afterward.  "It  is  certain,"  says  Mr.  Lawrence, 
"that  he  was  one  of  the  first  United  Brethren  evangelists 
in  Ohio.  Immediately  after  his  settlement  in  the  Scioto 
Valley  he  lifted  up  the  standard  of  the  cross,  around  which 
many  of  the  early  settlers  were  persuaded  to  rally." ^  Many 
precious  fruits  followed  his  preaching.  Among  his  con- 
verts were  some  who  afterward  became  well-known  min- 
isters in  the  Church,  as  Dewalt  Mechlin,  a  man  of  many 
labors  and  precious  memory,  Lewis  Kramer,  John  Smaltz, 
and  Bishop  Samuel  Hiestand.  Mr.  Benedum  was  present 
at  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Conference,  and  became 
one  of  its  original  members. 

Bishop  Russel,  in  a  sketch  written  for  Mr.  Lawrence, 
describes  Mr.  Benedum  as  a  man  of  high-class  natural 
endowments,  with  accurate  judgment  and  fertile  imagi- 
nation, and  as  a  close  student  of  the  Scriptures,  from 
which  his  sermons  were  enriched  to  an  unusual  degree. 
He  preached  wholly  in  the  German  language,  and  in  the 
use  of  that  tongue  is  said  to  have  been  a  master.  Bishop 
Edwards  once  said  of  him  that  "although  he  could  not 
understand  a  sentence  of  the  German  language,  yet  he 
always  became  happy  under  his  preaching."  He  traveled 
extensively,  preached  much,  and  gathered  full  harvests 
into  the  Master's  garner,  receiving  of  earthly  compensation 

»  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  p.  71. 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  241 

but  slight  measure,  but  of  the  eternal  iu  great  abundance. 
He  died  on  March  27,  1837,  in  the  seventy-second  year 
of  his  age,  after  having  given  forty-three  years  to  the 
gospel  ministry. 

Christian  Crum,  a  member  from  Virginia  in  the  first 
General  Conference,  was  one  of  twin  brothers,  both  min- 
isters, and  both  achieving  an  honorable  record  in  the 
early  work  of  the  Church.  His  brother's  name  was  Henry. 
They  were  brought  up  in  the  German  Reformed  Church, 
and  preached  in  the  German  language.  Christian,  who 
became  the  more  prominent  of  the  two,  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  Newcomer's  Journal.  He  was  a  man  of 
recognized  abilities  and  large  usefulness.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1823. 

Abraham  Mayer,  whose  name  appears  iu  the  honored 
list  of  members  of  this  first  General  Conference,  joined 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  soon  afterward  its  min- 
istry, about  the  year  1796.  He  was  of  Mennonite  extrac- 
tion, and  continued  to  wear  the  dress  of  that  people.  He 
is  described  by  Mr.  Spayth  as  a  man  "of  prepossessing 
appearance,"  and  "in  heart  and  life  an  Israelite  indeed." 
He  possessed  fine  gifts  as  a  thinker  and  speaker.  His 
home,  not  far  from  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  became  a  regular 
preaching  place.  At  the  first  meeting  held  there,  in  May, 
1798,  Boehm,  Newcomer,  Draksel,  and  Pfrimmer  were 
present.  While  not  a  regular  itinerant,  he  preached  much, 
often  making  long  tours  to  meet  appointments  which  had 
been  made  for  him.  Mr.  Spayth  relates  that  on  one  such 
occasion,  in  1813,  the  first  appointment  in  a  series  being 
forty-five  miles  distant,  he  rode  to  within  about  four  or 
five  miles  of  the  place,  when  he  stopped  at  a  farm-house 
to  inquire  the  way.  A  lady,  coming  to  the  door,  gave  him 
the  desired  information,  and  then  inquired  if  he  was  the 
man    wlio   was   expected  to   preach  at  Mr.   K.'s.     To  his 


242  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

affirmative  answer  she  replied,  "But  you  do  not  look  like 
one  of  our  preachers  ;  to  what  church  do  you  belong  ? " 
Mr.  Mayer  answered,  "The  United  Brethren."  She  mis- 
understood the  answer,  and  on  her  husband's  return 
reported  that  the  minister  who  was  to  preach  belonged 
to  the  Converted  Brethren.  "  Converted  Brethren  ! "  said 
he;  "who  ever  heard  of  such  a  church?"  But  the  lady 
proposed  that  they  go  and  hear  him  preach.  They  did 
so,  and  the  result  was  their  own  conviction  and  most 
happy  conversion,  many  others  in  the  neighborhood  join- 
ing with  them. 

Mr.  Mayer  was  again  a  member  of  the  General  Con- 
ference in  1825,  and  in  November  of  the  following  year 
went  to  his  reward.  He  was  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of 
his  age,  and  had  given  thirty  years  to  the  ministry 
of  Jesus. 

The  name  of  Henry  G.  Spayth  is  reserved  for  the  last 
in  this  connection.  He  was  a  delegate  from  Virginia,  and 
served  as  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  conference.  Mr. 
Spayth's  name  first  appears  on  the  roll  of  members  of  the 
Eastern  Conference  in  1812,  the  session  for  that  year  being 
held  at  Antietam.  His  first  work  as  a  minister  was 
rendered  in  Maryland  and  Virginia.  He  removed  to 
Westmoreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  about  the  year  1815, 
probably  soon  after  the  session  of  the  General  Conference 
there. 

Mr.  Spayth  was  endowed  with  superior  gifts,  especially 
in  matters  of  counsel,  and  in  this  first  General  Conference 
exerted  an  important  influence.  The  reader  will  remem- 
ber the  quotation  from  his  history  respecting  the  conten- 
tions w^hich  darkened  the  earlier  sessions  of  the  conference, 
and  also  that  after  a  season  of  fervent  prayer  the  clouds 
were  dispersed,  and  harmony  reigned  from  that  hour  for- 
ward  to   the   end.     Mr.   Spayth   modestly  omits  to  speak 


THE  FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1815  243 

of  the  part  he  himself  performed  in  bringing  about  the 
restoration  of  better  feehng.  Mr.  Lawrence  mentions  that 
"at  the  moment  when  a  rupture  in  that  body  seemed 
inevitable,  and  the  powers  of  darkness  were  ready  to 
shout  a  victory,  Mr.  Spayth  arose  and  delivered  an  address, 
which,  with  the  prayer-meeting  that  followed,  resulted  in 
a  complete  restoration  of  good  feeling  and  a  most  happy 
termination  of  the  difficulties."^ 

Mr.  Spayth  was  returned  to  the  General  Conference  at 
six  subsequent  sessions,  namely,  the  second,  fourth,  sixth, 
eighth,  ninth,  and  tenth.  Possessing  great  strength  of 
character,  as  well  as  sound  judgment,  he  exerted  much 
influence  in  these  successive  conferences,  and  it  is  remarked 
of  him  that  "perhaps  few  men  did  more  to  shape  the 
polity  of  the  Church  from  1815  to  1845,  a  period  of  thirty 
years."  ^ 

Soon  after  his  removal  to  Westmoreland  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, Mr.  Spayth  became  a  member,  after  its  forma- 
tion, of  the  Muskingum  Conference,  a  conference  whose 
star,  through  change  in  name,  has  disappeared  from  our 
ecclesiastical  horoscope.  Later  he  removed  to  Tiffin,  Ohio, 
becoming,  in  1835,  a  member  of  the  Sandusky  Conference. 
The  chief  work  of  Mr.  Spayth 's  life,  that  by  means  of 
which  his  memory  will  be  longest  preserved,  was  the 
writing  of  the  first  history  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. ^ 
Mr.  Spayth  died  at  his  home  in  Tiffin,  September  2,  1873. 

'  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  p.  79.  «See  p.  282. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE    GENERAL    CONFERENCES    OF    1817-1833 

I.      THE    SECOND    GENERAL    CONFERENCE 1817. 

The  General  Conference  of  1815,  while  making  distinct 
provision  for  quadrennial  assemblies,  deemed  it  wise,  as 
has  been  seen,  that  the  next  succeeding  session  be  held 
in  two  instead  of  four  years.  This  was  done  apparently 
on  account  of  some  measure  of  uncertainty  as  to  how  the 
things  done  at  the  first  session  would  be  received  by  the 
Church.  The  second  conference  may  therefore  be  regarded 
as  in  some  sense  an  adjourned  session  of  the  first,  while 
in  fact  it  was  a  distinct  conference,  composed  of  delegates 
chosen  by  another  election. 

The  second  General  Conference,  w^hen  it  convened, 
happily  found  an  entirely  clear  sky.  The  proceedings  of 
the  first  conference  had  received  the  most  cordial  approval, 
first  at  the  Miami  Conference,  which  convened  on  June 
27,  1815,  only  a  few  weeks  after  the  General  Conference, 
and  soon  afterward  at  the  conference  of  the  East.  Tins  con- 
ference, therefore,  had  before  it  no  embarrassing  task  of  re- 
vising the  acts  of  the  first,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  addressed 
itself  to  the  more  pleasant  labor  of  providing  some  val- 
uable additional  features  to  the  Rules  of  Discipline.  These 
related  in  part  to  visitations  from  house  to  house  and  the 
enforcement  of  a  practical  Christianity,  and  to  the  in- 
struction of  youth  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  They  provided 
also  a  completed  form  for  the  ordination  of  ministers, 
another  for  the  ordination  of  bishops,  and  an  excellent 
marriage  ceremony. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833  245 

The  place  of  meetiug    of   the    General  Conference  was 
again     at     Mount     Pleasant,     in     Westmoreland     County, 
Pennsylvania;  the  time  June  2,   1817.     Of  the  delegates 
elected    only   twelve   assembled,    namely.    Christian    New- 
comer   and    Andrew    Zeller,    bishops;    Abraham    Mayer, 
Joseph  Hoffman,  John  Snyder,  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  Jacob 
Dehoff,  L.  Kramer,  Dewalt  Mechlin,  Henry  G.  Spayth,  L. 
Eoth,  and  H.  Ow.     Mr.  Spayth  was  again   secretary,  and 
Bishops    Newcomer    and    Zeller    were    reelected    for   the 
succeeding   term    of   four   years.     A    new   conference    was 
formed,  the  Muskingum,   including  that  portion  of   Ohio 
which    lies    east    and    north    of    the   Muskingum   Pviver, 
with  Washington  and  Westmoreland  counties  in  Pennsyl- 
vania.    One  cannot  help  a  feeling  of  regret  that  in  the 
processes  of  rearrangement  of  territorial   boundaries   this 
historic   conference,   the   third    in   the  order   of  organiza- 
tion, and  which  gave  to  the  Church  some  of  its  foremost 
men,  has  disappeared  from  the  list  of  conference  organi- 
zations. 

The  business  of  this  General  Conference,  as  of  its 
predecessor,  and  of  a  number  of  those  coming  after,  was 
transacted  in  the  German  language.  The  minutes  were 
recorded  in  German,  but  the  conference  directed  that  a 
translation  of  the  revised  Discipline  should  be  made  into 
EngHsh,  and  a  hundred  copies  be  printed  in  that  tongue. 
So  modest  were  the  proportions  of  the  English  part  of 
the  Church  at  that  time  that  one  hundred  copies  were 
deemed  sufficient  to  meet  every  requirement. 

The  spirit  in  which  the  action  of  the  General  Conference 
relative  to  the  ordination  of  ministers  was  received  by  the 
Church  was  well  illustrated  in  the  Miami  Conference  at 
the  session  next  succeeding.  By  a  unanimous  vote  of  the 
conference  the  following  names  were  presented  as  candi- 
dates for  ordination  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  :    Christian 


246  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Cruiii,  A.  Hiestand,  George  Benedum,  Andrew  Zeller, 
Daniel  Troyer,  H.  Miller,  W.  P.  Smith,  and  J.  G.  Pfrimmer. 
That  nothing  might  be  wanting  in  the  observance  of  form 
as  set  forth  in  the  New  Testament,  and  now  recognized 
by  the  highest  authority  in  the  Church,  these  men  were, 
on  the  last  day  of  the  session,  solemnly  ordained  to  the 
office  of  elders  in  the  Church,  according  to  the  formulas 
prescribed  in  the  Discipline.  First  in  the  order.  Bishop 
Newcomer,  who  himself  had  been  ordained  by  Bishop 
Otterbein,  laid  his  hands  on  the  head  of  Christian  Crum, 
and  afterward  proceeded,  with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Crum,  to 
ordain  the  rest  in  like  manner.  Among  them  were  men 
who  had  grown  venerable  in  the  office  of  the  ministry, 
and  one  bishop.  Mr.  Newcomer  himself  had  filled  the 
office  of  bishop  before  his  ordination  by  Bishop  Otterbein. 

II.       THE    THIRD    GENERAL    CONFERENCE 1821. 

The  General  Conference  of  1821,  the  third  in  the  series, 
was  held  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  at  the  home  of  Dewalt 
Mechlin,  a  local  preacher  of  the  Miami  Conference.  The 
time  of  assembling  was  May  15.  The  territory  of  the 
Church  had  again  been  divided  into  districts,  as  at  the 
first,  this  time  eight  in  number.  Twenty- two  delegates 
were  elected,  and  seventeen  were  in  attendance,  as  follows  : 

Maryland  District — Samuel  Huber,  William  Brown. 

Carlisle — Michael  Baer. 

Virginia — George  Guething,  Daniel  Pfeifer. 

Miami — Henry  Joseph  Frey,  Henry  Evinger,  Henry 
Kumler,  Sen.,  Abraham  Bonsler. 

Muskingum — Michael  Bortsfield,  A.  Forney. 

New  Lancaster — Lewis  Kramer,  Nathaniel  Havens. 

Lower  Lancaster — George  Benedum,  Joseph  Hoffinan. 

Indiana — John  McNamar,  John  George  Pfrimmer. 

Bishops  Newcomer  and  Zeller  presided. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833  247 

Rule  on  Slavery  Adopted. 
The  conference,  during  the  several  days  of  its  colitinuance, 
considered  a  variety  of  subjects,  but  no  other  action  was 
taken  which  had  so  decided  an  influence  upon  the  future 
character  of  the  Church  as  that  referring  to  slavery  and  the 
liquor  traffic.  On  the  subject  of  slavery  strong  resolutions 
were  adopted  and  incorporated  in  the  Discipline  as  a  part  of 
the  law  of  the  Church.  The  resolutions,  translated  from  the 
German  for  the  English  edition  of  the  Discipline,  are  as 
follows  : 

Resolved,  That  all  slavery,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  be  totally 
prohibited  and  in  no  way  tolerated  in  our  community.  Should  some 
be  found  therein,  or  others  apply  to  be  admitted  as  members,  Tvho  hold 
slaves,  they  can  neither  remain  to  be  members  nor  be  admitted  as  such, 
provided  they  do  not  personally  manumit  or  set  free  such  slave,  where- 
ever  the  laws  of  the  State  shall  permit  it,  or  submit  the  case  to  the 
quarterly  conference,  to  be  by  them  specified  what  length  of  time  such 
slave  shall  serve  his  master  or  other  person,  until  the  amount  given  for 
him,  or  for  raising  him,  be  compensated  to  his  master.  But  in  no 
case  shall  a  member  of  our  society  be  permitted  to  sell  a  slave. 

Resolved,  That  if  any  member  of  this  society  shall  publicly  trans- 
gress as  aforesaid,  such  member  shall  likewise  be  publicly  repri- 
manded, and  in  case  such  member  shall  not  humble  [himself],  the 
same  shall  be  publicly  excluded  from  the  congregation. 

The  translation  may  not  be  said  to  be  expressed  in  the 
best  English,  the  German  idiom  being  chiefly  preserved, 
but  there  is  nothing  lacking  in  perspicuity  or  energy,  and 
no  opportunity  was  left,  on  account  of  indefiniteness,  for 
any  evasion  of  its  provisions. 

The  reader  who  is  acquainted  with  the  German  language 
may  be  pleased  to  see  this  interesting  law"  in  its  clear  and 
strong  expression  as  it  was  framed  by  the  fathers  of  that 
day.     The  following  is  the  original  form  :  ^ 

'  For  another  version  of  this  law,  both  in  German  and  English,  see  Law- 
rence's History,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  143-145.  The  form  there  given  is  from  a  transcript 
made  by  J.  G.  Pfrimmer,  who  was  a  member  of  the  General  Conference  of 
1821,  and  transcribed  by  Bishop  Hiestand  into  the  Journal  of  the  Miami  Con- 
ference.   See  pp.  96-103,  Miami  Conference  Journal. 


248  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

33efc^lDffert,  'aa^  alle  ©flaoerei,  in  rceld)em  S?serftanb  e5  aurf)  tn:mer  fein  iimg, 
in  unferer  ©emeinfrf)aft  gcinjlicf)  rerboten  fei,  iinb  auf  !eiue  28ei[e  er(aubt  fein 
fann.  ©oUten  fid^  in  unferer  @emeinfrf)aft  einige  befinben,  ober  anbere  fief)  mtU 
ben  al§  9J^itgIieber  angenommen  p  rcerben,  raelc^e  ©flaoen  l^aben,  fo  !onnen  foIrf)e 
raeber  ©lieber  bleifien  nod^  angenommen  roerben.  @g  fei  benn,  ba^  fie  fold^e  (Sf(a; 
t)en  felbft  frei  fel^en,  ino  bie  (^efe^e  be^  ©taateg  e§  eriauben  ober  eg  ber  Dierteljd^r; 
licfien  (Eonferenj  iiberlaffen  gu  beftimmen,  rcie  lange  ein  folc^er  ©flaoe  entroeber 
feinem  2)Zeifter  ober  einem  anbern  bienen  foil,  big  fein  9}?eifter  fiir  bie  il'often  beg 
3lnfaufg  ober  ber  Grjief^ung  35ergeltung  erf)alten  i^at.  2tber  niemalg  ift  eg  einem 
©lieb  unferer  ©emeinfd^aft  eriaubt  einen  ©!(at)en  gu  t)er!aufen. 

33efc^Ioffen,  ba^  menu  fid)  ein  ©emeinbeglieb  bffentlic^  fo  rergel^et,  fo  foK  if)m 
auc^  i3ffentlic^  35ern)eig  gegeben  rcerben;  unb  rcenn  eg  fid)  nic^t  bemiitiget,  foU 
eg  bffentlid^  aug  ber  ©emeinbe  auggefc^loffen  merben. 

Thus  at  this  early  day,  forty  years  before  the  breaking 
out  of  the  great  war  for  the  perpetuation  of  slavery,  these 
fathers  of  the  Church  raised  this  firm  protest  against  the 
great  iniquity.  The  institution  was  at  that  time  rapidly 
rising  toward  that  ascendency  by  which  it  afterward 
exerted  so  vast  a  power  in  corrupting  the  political  and 
religious  conscience,  and  dominating  the  legislation  of  the 
country.  The  rule  thus  adopted,  while  working  seeming 
hardship  in  many  cases,  was  rigidly  adhered  to  by  the 
Church.  But  a  necessary  result  was,  that  while  the  Church 
was  already  well  established  in  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
its  growth  in  other  States  of  the  South  was  either  greatly 
retarded  or  wholly  prevented.  But  the  rule  gave  the 
Church  a  high  moral  vantage  ground  in  maintaining  an 
attitude  of  protest  against  the  great  national  sin,  and 
when  the  final  struggle  came  its  people  on  both  sides  of 
the  line  were  found  solid  in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  the 
support  of  the  Government. 

Legislation  on  Temperance. 

On  another  subject  of  great  national  concern  the  voice 
of  this  General  Conference  was  heard,  namely,  that  of  the 
manufacture  and   sale  of  intoxicating  liquors.     The  time 


THE  GENERAL   CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833  249 

dates  back  to  a  period  when  the  driuk  habit  was  ahiiost 
universal,  and  when  honored  members  of  churches  not  only 
personally  used  intoxicating  liquors  freely,  but  also  manu- 
factured them  or  sold  them  to  others. 

The  earliest  expression  of  the  Church  on  this  subject 
was  made  by  the  Eastern  Conference,  as  found  in  the 
Discipline  of  1814  : 

Article  11.  Every  member  shall  abstaiu  from  strong  drink,  and 
use  it  only  on  necessity  as  medicine. 

Familiar  as  we  are  at  the  present  time  with  temperance 
legislation  of  the  most  decided  character,  this  utterance, 
dating  back  to  as  early  a  time  as  1814,  with  the  social 
conditions  then  prevailing  inside  as  well  as  outside  of  the 
churches,  must  be  regarded  as  quite  extraordinary.  The 
provision  is  not  repeated  in  the  Disciplines  for  some  years 
afterward,  but  the  end  aimed  at  reappears  in  the  resolu- 
tion of  1821  and  in  subsequent  legislation.  In  1833  the 
legislation  took  a  strong  prohibitive  form,  applying,  liow- 
ever,  at  first  only  to  the  ministerial  class.  In  1841  it 
took  a  broader  form. 

The  resolution  adopted  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1821,  which,  however,  was  not  then  embodied  in  the 
Discipline,  reads  as  follows  : 

Resolved,  That  neither  preacher  nor  lay  member  shall  be  allowed 
to  carry  on  a  distillery ;  and  that  distillers  be  requested  to  willingly 
cease  the  business ;  that  the  members  of  the  General  Conference  be 
requested  to  lay  this  resolution  before  the  several  annual  conferences ; 
that  it  shall  then  be  the  duty  of  the  preachers  to  labor  against  the 
evils  of  intemperance  during  the  interval  between  this  and  the  next 
General  Conference,  when  the  subject  shall  again  be  taken  up  for 
further  consideration. 

On  this  action  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  his  History  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  remarks:  "If  we  may  make  a 
single  exception,  this  is  the  earliest  ecclesiastical  action 
on   record    which    was   aimed    at   the   suppression    of   the 


250  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

liquor  traffic.^  Tlie  earliest  action  which  has  come  under 
our  notice  was  taken  by  the  General  Association  of  ^lassa- 
chusetts  Proper,  in  1811,  at  which  time  a  committee,  of 
which  Rev.  Dr.  Worcester  was  chairman,  was  appointed 
to  draft  the  constitution  of  a  society  whose  object  should 
be  to  check  the  progress  of  intemperance,  viewed  by  the 
association  as  a  growing  evil.  It  was  not,  however,  until 
1813  that  the  contemplated  society  was  organized  and  held 
a  meeting.  Associated  with  this  movement  were  some  of 
the  most  eminent  men  of  New  England,  such  as  Hon. 
Samuel  Dexter  and  Hon.  Nathan  Dane.  ...  It  exerted 
no  considerable  influence  outside  of  the  New  England 
States,  and  it  was  not  until  after  the  organization  of  the 
American  Temperance  Society,  in  1826,  that  the  evangel- 
ical Christian  denominations  entered  into  the  movement. 
This  was  five  years  after  the  United  Brethren  General 
Conference,  composed  mainly  of  German  preachers,  had 
committed  the  United  Brethren  ministry  in  particular,  and 
the  United  Brethren  Church  in  general,  to  a  decisively 
aggressive  movement  against  intemperance."^ 

Thus  this  early  action  by  the  General  Conference  gave 
to  the  United  Brethren  Church,  with  reference  to  the  tem- 
perance movement,  a  most  honorable  position,  which  in 
all  its  later  legislation  and  history  it  has  worthily  main- 
tained. Many  interesting  instances  occurred  in  which 
men,  in  view  of  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  on 
this  subject,  put  away  their  distilleries  or  ceased  to  handle 
the  forbidden  beverage.  Ex-Bishop  Hanby,  in  Spayth's 
history  of  the  Church,  relates  that  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania,  about  the  year  1835,  a  man  named  Abraham 
Herr  was  converted  during  a  revival  in  his  neighborhood. 
He   was  a  man   of   wealth,   owning  several  farms  and  a 

>  Mr.  Lawrence  apparently  was  unacquainted  with  the  provision  in  the 
Discipline  of  1814.  »  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  148,  149. 


THE   GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833  251 

large  distillery.  Becoming  awakened  to  the  sin  and  evil  of 
the  manufacture  of  and  traffic  in  intoxicating  liquors,  he 
removed  the  machinery  from  his  distillery,  remodeled  it, 
and  converted  it  into  a  house  of  worship.  On  the  very 
spot  where  the  kettles  stood  he  erected  a  pulpit,  so  that 
thenceforth,  instead  of  the  fiery  liquids  for  the  destruction 
of  men's  bodies  and  souls,  there  issued  forth  the  fountains 
of  life.i 

In  the  subsequent  legislation  of  the  Church  the  rule 
w^as  made  equally  prohibitive  as  to  the  use  of  ardent 
spirits  as  a  beverage,  so  that  the  denomination  became 
in  effect  a  total  abstinence  society. 

Christian  Newcomer  and  Joseph  Hoffman  were  elected 
bishops  by  this  conference,  Bishop  Newcomer  having  served 
from  his  first  election  in  1813. 

III.       THE    FOURTH    GENERAL    CONFERENCE 1825. 

The  General  Conference  of  1825  convened  at  Jacob 
Shaup's,  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  on  May  7.  Bishops 
Newcomer  and  Hoffman  presided.  There  were  in  attend- 
ance twenty-four  members.  Among  these  were  six  who  had 
sat  in  the  General  Conference  of  1815,  namely.  Christian 
Newcomer,  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  Henry  G.  Spayth,  Abraham 
Mayer,  Christian  Berger,  and  Andrew  Zeller,  John  Hildt, 
a  close  associate  of  Bishop  Otterbein,  and  the  translator  of 
Newcomer's  Journal,  occupied  a  seat  in  this  conference. 
Ex-Bishop  Andrew  Zeller  was  a  member.  Others  who 
were  soon  to  fill  a  large  place  in  the  active  service  of  the 
Church,  as  Samuel  Hiestand,  Jacob  Antrim,  Nathaniel 
Havens,  and  William  Stewart,  were  also  members. 

At  this  conference  action  was  taken  improving  the 
questions  for  examination  of  candidates  for  the  ministry, 
providing  for  compensation  for  bishops,  and  annulling  the 

1  Spayth 's  History,  p.  242. 


252  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ritual  for  the  ordination  of  bishops  at  induction  into  office. 
The  bishops  hitherto  had  performed  all  their  service  with- 
out pecuniary  consideration.  As  long  journeys  between 
the  eastern  and  western  portions  of  the  Church  were  re- 
quired in  attending  the  conferences,  besides  a  great  amount 
of  travel  in  visiting  local  neighborhoods  and  churches, 
the  labor  was  often  very  burdensome.  The  rules  required 
that  a  bishojD  from  the  East  sit  with  a  bishop  of  the 
West  in  holding  a  conference,  and  that  a  bishop  residing 
in  the  West  assist  a  bishop  residing  in  the  East  in  like 
manner.  In  these  travels,  as  we  have  seen.  Bishop  New- 
comer spent  the  larger  part  of  his  life  in  the  saddle. 
Horseback  travel  was  the  only  method  then  available  to 
the  itinerant.  But  now  that  compensation  was  provided 
for,  there  was  no  danger  that  any  would  covet  the  office 
for  the  sake  of  the  gains  in  prospect.  The  salary  of  a 
bishop  was  fixed,  if  married,  at  one  hundred  and  sixty 
dollars  a  year,  if  single,  at  eighty,  the  same  as  that  of  the 
itinerant  preacher. 

Christian  Newcomer  and  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  were 
elected  bishops.  The  following  action  was  then  taken 
touching  the  ordination  of  bishops : 

Resolved^  That  as  the  newly  elected  bishop  has  alreadj^  been 
ordained  by  the  imposition  of  hands  as  an  elder  in  the  Church,  a 
second  ordination  is  not  deemed  essential  to  the  duties  of  a  bishop ; 
nor  do  we  find  a  Scripture  precedent  for  a  second  or  third  ordination. 

This  abrogation  of  a  measure  adopted  by  the  General 
Conference  of  1815  for  the  ordination  of  bishops  was 
timely,  and  in  harmony  with  the  simple  ecclesiastical  sys- 
tem of  the  Churcli,  as  well  as  with  the  New  Testament, 
or  apostolic,  practice.  The  United  Brethren  Church  thus 
recognized  but  a  single  order  in  its  ministry,  its  bishops, 
though  honored  with  high  responsibility,  being  of  the 
same  class  as  their  brethren  in  the  ranks. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFEEENCES  OF  1817-1833  253 

Bishop  Kumler,  who  served  so  long  and  honorably  in 
the  bishop's  office,  a  period  of  twenty-four  years,  has 
already  been  spoken  of  at  some  length  in  these  pages. 

The  separate  organization  of  the  Scioto  Annual  Con- 
ference was  authorized  by  this  General  Conference,  making 
the  fourth  annual  conference. 

IV.       THE    FIFTH    GENERAL    CONFERENCE 1829. 

The  fifth  General  Conference,  that  of  1829,  was  held  at 
Dewalt  Mechlin's,  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  commencing 
on  May  15.  Twenty-eight  delegates,  with  two  bishops, 
thirty  members  in  all,  were  in  attendance.  The  confer- 
ences represented  were  the  Hagerstown,  or  Eastern,  Miami, 
Muskingum,  and  Scioto.  The  bishops  were  Christian 
Newcomer  and  Henry  Kumler,  Sen. 

A  special  interest  attaches  to  this  conference  from  the 
fact   that   it   was   the   last    which    the    venerable    Bishop 
Newcomer  attended.     He  was  now  in  his  eighty-first  year, 
but  such  was  the  stalwart  character  of  the  man  that  he 
once  more  undertook  the  long  horseback  journey  from  his 
home   in   the   East   to   meet   his   official   obligations  as  a 
bishop    over   the    Lord's  house.     On   April    10   he  closed 
the   session  of  the   Eastern   Conference;    on  the   11th   he 
bade   farewell   to   his   son   Andrew's    family,    with    whom 
he  had  resided  since  the  death  of  his  wife  ;  on  the  28th  lie 
met  the  Muskingum  Conference,  presiding  over  its  annual 
session  ;  on  May  11  he  met  the  Scioto  Conference,  presiding 
over  that  body,  and  on  the  15th  was  ready  for  duty  at 
the    session   of    the    General    Conference.      With    Bishop 
Kumler  he  was   again   elected   superintendent,  but  before 
quite  another  year  had  passed  the  Lord  of  the  harvest, 
who  calls  the  laborers  to  receive   their  dues,  had  called 
him  to  the  eternal  reward. 

Among  the  names  appearing  here  for  the  first  time  in 


264  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  General  Conference  annals  are  those  of  John  Russel, 
William  Brown,  John  Coons,  and  Jacob  Erb,  all  of  whom 
were  at  subsequent  sessions  chosen  to  the  office  of  bishop. 
The  division  of  the  original  conference  of  the  East  was 
authorized  by  this  General  Conference,  the  northern  por- 
tion being  called  the  Harrisburg  Conference,  afterward  the 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  southern  portion  the  Hagerstown 
Conference,  afterward  the  Virginia.  The  Miami  Confer- 
ence was  to  yield  again  a  portion  of  her  territory,  and 
the  Indiana  Conference  was  formed. 

V.       THE    SIXTH    GENERAL   CONFERENCE 1833. 

The  General  Conference  of  1833  proved  to  be  a  session 
of  great  importance  to  the  Church  on  account  of  several 
measures  adopted  by  it.  The  conference  was  held  at 
George  Dresbach's,  in  Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  commenc- 
ing on  May  14.  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  presided, 
and  thirty-three  delegates,  representing  six  conferences, 
were  present.  The  conferences  were  the  Pennsylvania,  the 
Virginia,  the  Muskingum,  the  Scioto,  the  Miami,  and  the 
Indiana.  Henry  G.  Spayth,  of  the  Muskingum,  and 
William  P.  Phinehart,  then  of  the  Virginia  Conference, 
were  elected  secretaries. 

At  this  session  the  powers  and  limitations  of  the  General 
Conference  were  discussed  and  more  clearly  defined.  The 
subject  of  representation  was  considered,  much  interest 
being  elicited  in  the  discussion.  The  old  plan  of  repre- 
sentation by  districts  was  discontinued,  and  it  was  decided 
that  each  annual  conference  should  be  entitled  to  two 
delegates.  The  change  effected  by  this  arrangement  was 
quite  considerable.  In  this  conference,  for  example,  the 
Pennsylvania  Conference  had  six  delegates  on  the  floor, 
the  Scioto  eight,  the  Miami  seven,  and  the  Indiana  six. 
Under   the    new    arrangement   each    of  these   conferences 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833         255 

would  be  entitled  to  but  two.  This  question  ot  repre- 
sentation became  one  of  quite  serious  moment  in  subsequent 
years. 

Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  was  reelected,  and  Samuel  Hiestand 
and  William  Brown  were  elected,  to  the  office  of  bishop. 
The  formation  of  the  Sandusky  Conference  was  authorized 
by  this  conference.  The  term  of  appointment  to  the 
presiding-eldership  was  reduced  from  four  years  to  one 
year.  The  bishops,  however,  still  retained  the  appointing 
power,  as  arranged  by  the  General  Conference  of  1815,  the 
annual  conference  consenting  to  the  appointment.  This 
appointing  power  remained  with  the  bishops  until  1841, 
when  by  act  of  the  General  Conference  it  was  made  the 
duty  of  the  annual  conferences  to  elect  the  presiding  elders. 

This  General  Conference,  as  previously  referred  to,  took 
important  action  relating  to  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
intoxicating  liquors.  The  reader  will  notice  that  this 
legislation  was  not  then  made  to  apply  to  all  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Church,  the  immediate  purpose  being  "to 
purify  the  house  of   Levi."      The  following  is  the  action  : 

Should  any  exhorter,  preacher,  or  elder,  from  and  after  the  next 
annual  conferences  in  1834,  be  engaged  in  the  distillation  or  vending 
of  ardent  spirits,  he  shall  for  the  first  and  second  offense  be  account- 
able to  the  quarterly  or  yearly  conferences  of  which  he  is  a  member ; 
said  conferences  will  in  meekness  admonish  the  offending  brother  to 
desist  from  the  distillation  or  vending  of  ardent  spirits,  as  the  case 
may  be;  should  these  friendly  admonitions  fail,  and  the  party 
continue  to  act  in  the  same,  and  it  be  proven  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  yearly  conference  if  a  preacher  or  elder,  or  before  the 
quarterly  conference  if  an  exhorter,  such  preacher,  elder,  or  exhorter 
will  for  the  time  not  be  considered  a  member  of  this  Church. 

A  Publishing  House  Founded. 

But  by  far  the  most  important  action  taken  by  this 
conference,  the  most  far-reaching  in  its  effects  upon  all 
the  future  of  the  Church,  was  that  relating  to  the  organiza- 


256  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

tion  of  a  Church  printing  estabhshment.  It  was  an  early 
day  for  the  pubHcation  of  denominational  periodicals. 
Nearly  all  the  great  religious  and  church  weeklies,  which 
now  fill  so  large  a  place  in  the  literature  of  the  world, 
are  of  later  date.  But  the  men  who  gathered  in  this 
conference  foresaw  the  value  of  a  paper  in  the  progressive 
development  and  life  of  the  Church,  and  they  accordingly 
resolved  to  begin  the  publication  of  such  a  periodical.  A 
board  of  trustees  was  elected,  consisting  of  John  Russel, 
Jonathan  Dresbach,  and  George  Dresbach,  who  were 
charged  with  the  duty  of  carrying  the  will  of  the  General 
Conference  into  effect.  By  resolution  the  establishment 
was  to  be  located  at  Circleville,  Ohio.  In  1834,  in  accord- 
ance with  this  action  of  the  General  Conference,  the  trustees 
secured  real  estate  in  Circleville,  purchased  a  press,  type, 
and  other  necessary  material,  and  established  the  Publish- 
ing House  of  the  Church.  The  first  periodical  publication 
issued  from  the  establishment,  and  for  some  years  the  only 
one,  was  the  Religious  Telescope.  It  appeared  December 
31,  1834,  as  a  semimonthly,  at  $1.50  a  year,  with  William 
R.  Rhinehart  as  editor.  Of  this  and  the  subsequent  growth 
of  the  publishing  department  of  the  Church  more  is  to 
be  said  in  these  pages. 

VI.       PERSONAL    NOTES. 

1.     Joseph  Hoffman. 

Bishop  Hoffman  was  born  in  Cumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  on  March  19,  1780.  He  was  of  German 
parentage,  was  converted  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  entered 
the  ministry  at  twenty-two,  and  the  itinerant  ranks  the 
year  following.  In  1814,  after  the  death  of  Otterbein,  he 
was  appointed  to  the  pulpit  of  the  Otterbein  Churcli,  re- 
maining for  three  years.     In  1818  he  removed  to  Fairfield 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833         257 

County,  Ohio,  and  later  to  Montgomery  County,  settling 
on  a  farm  overlooking  Dayton,  now  included  in  the  city. 
Bishop  Hoffman,  though  filling  that  office  for  but  a  single 
quadrennium,  was  a  man  of  rare  power  in  the  pulpit.  In 
person  he  was  tall  and  straight,  with  an  impressive  face  and 
commanding  appearance.  His  voice  possessed  unusual 
power — deep-toned,  mellow,  and  rich,  with  extraordinary 
strength  when  occasion  called  it  forth.  As  an  expounder 
of  the  Scriptures  he  held  high  rank,  and  his  gifts  of 
speech  were  such  as  to  lay  claim  to  high  oratorical  power. 
Mr.  Spayth,  writing  of  his  earlier  itinerant  years,  says  that 
in  him  "the  itinerant  preacher  was  fully  exemplified  in 
labors  abundant,  even  to  excess.  An  originality  and  in- 
spired power  characterized  his  preaching."  His  last  visit 
to  a  session  of  the  Miami  Conference,  with  which  he  was 
connected,  is  remembered  by  some  of  the  older  members 
of  that  body.  An  address  made  by  him  to  the  ministers, 
exhorting  them  to  fidelity  in  the  Master's  service,  made 
a  profound  impression.  He  was  then  seventy-five  years 
old,  and  when  he  expressed  his  belief  that  he  was  in  their 
presence  as  a  conference  for  the  last  time  many  hearts 
were  touched.  His  premonitions  proved  to  be  correct. 
Before  the  conference  assembled  again,  he  had  joined  the 
hosts  triumphant.  His  death  occurred  at  Euphemia,  Ohio, 
where  the  closing  years  of  his  life  were  spent.  Bishop 
Hoffman  preached  with  equal  fluency  in  the  English  and 
German  languages. 

2.     Samuel  Hiestand. 

The  death  of  Christian  Newcomer,  in  1830,  left  Henry 
Kumler,  Sen.,  to  bear  the  responsibilities  of  the  bishop's 
office  alone.  In  1833  the  General  Conference  reelected 
him,  and  associated  with  him  Samuel  Hiestand  and 
William  Brown. 


258  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Bishop  Hiestand  was  born  in  Page  County,  Virginia, 
March  3,  1781,  his  parents  being  members  of  the  Moravian 
Church.  They  brought  up  their  children  in  the  fear  of 
God,  and  three  of  their  sons  became  ministers,  all  in  the 
United  Brethren  Church.  Samuel  came  west  at  the  age  of 
about  twenty-three,  finding  a  home  in  Fairfield  County, 
Ohio.  At  the  age  of  about  thirty-nine,  in  1820,  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Miami  Conference,  and  entered  upon  the 
work  of  the  ministry.  When  the  conference  was  divided 
and  the  Scioto  was  formed,  his  residence  in  the  Scioto 
district  gave  him  membership  in  that  conference.  He  was 
in  attendance  at  the  General  Conference  of  1821,  and  was 
chosen  its  secretary.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General 
Conferences  of  1825  and  1833,  and  at  the  latter  was  chosen 
one  of  the  bishops  of  the  Church.  He  was  reelected  in 
1837,  but  died  on  October  9  in  the  following  year,  in  the 
fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  As  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1837  he  had  a  hand  in  framing  the 
constitution  which  was  approved  by  that  conference. 
Bishop  Hiestand  was  a  preacher  of  fair  abilities,  sometimes 
rising  to  great  power.  He  was  regarded  as  a  safe  counselor, 
and  enjoyed  in  the  highest  degree  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  brethren.     His  early  death  was  much  lamented. 

3.      William  Brown. 

William  Brown,  also  of  German  descent,  was  born  in 
Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  July  7,  1796.  He 
was  converted  at  the  age  of  sixteen  at  a  "big  meeting" 
held  on  Abraham  Mayer's  farm,  near  Carlisle,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty  was  granted  license  to  preach.  He 
entered  the  itinerant  ranks,  and  gave  many  years  of 
effective  service  to  the  Church.  He  was  much  associated 
with  Bishop  Newcomer,  Guething,  Russel,  and  others  of 
the  most  active  men   of  that  early  period.     He  attained 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1817-1833  259 

to  much  power  as  a  preacher  of  the  word,  and  at  "big 
meetings"  and  camp-meetings  proved  himself  one  of  the 
most  efiective  of  evangehsts.  He  was  a  delegate  from 
the  Pennsylvania  Conference  to  the  General  Conference 
of  1833,  and  was  by  that  conference  chosen  to  the  office  of 
bishop,  serving  in  that  capacity  four  years.  In  1838  he 
left  his  home  in  the  East  to  establish  himself  in  a  new 
home  in  Benton  County,  Indiana.  He  continued  in  the 
itinerant  work  up  to  within  a  year  of  the  close  of  his  life, 
dying  on  May  11,  1868,  at  nearly  seventy-two  years  of 
age.  His  early  preaching  was  in  the  German  language, 
and  he  continued  to  make  visits  to  German  neighborhoods 
and  to  preach  to  the  people  in  their  own  language  up  to 
a  late  period  in  his  life.  His  record  is  that  of  a  faithful 
and  devoted  servant  of  the  Master. 


Fifth  Period— i837-i885 

CHAPTER  XV 

THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841 

I.      THE   SEVENTH    GENERAL   CONFERENCE 1837. 

The  years  1837  and  1841  mark  a  pivotal  period  in  the 
history  of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  The  General 
Conference  of  1837  convened  on  May  9,  at  Germantown, 
Montgomery  County,  Ohio.  Bishops  Kumler  and  Hiestand 
presided,  Bishop  Brown  not  being  present.  Bishop  Hiestand 
preached  the  opening  sermon,  which  was  spoken  of  at  the 
time  as  peculiarly  appropriate,  and  was  remembered  the 
more  from  the  fact  that  in  the  year  following  he  closed 
his  earthly  labors.  Eight  annual  conferences  were  repre- 
sented, as  follows  : 

Pennsylvania — Jacob  Erb,  Jacob  Winter. 

Virginia — Jacob  Rhinehart,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner. 

Muskingum — Adam  Hetzler,  David  Weimer. 

Sandusky — John  Dorcas,  George  Hiskey. 

Scioto — John  Coons,  William  Hanby. 

Miami — J.  Fetterhoff,  William  Stubbs. 

Indiana — F.  Whitcom,  John  Lopp. 

Wabash — F.  Kenoyer,  William  Davis. 

Among  the  measures  adopted  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1837  was  a  "constitution  for  the  better  government  of 
the  Printing  Establishment,"  the  basis  of  the  constitution 
of  the  House  still  found  in  the  Discipline.  John  Russel, 
George  Dresbach,  and  Jonathan  Dresbach  were  reelected 
trustees  for  the  establishment ;  William  R.  Rhinehart  was 


260 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    261 

elected    editor   of    the    Religious    Telescope,   and    William 
Hanby  publishing  agent. 

Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  and  Samuel  Hiestand  were  reelected 
bishops,  and  Jacob  Erb  was  elected  to  succeed  Bishop 
Brown,  the  latter  having  served  four  years. 

Adoption  of  a  Constitution. 

The  chief  interest  of  the  conference  centered  in  the 
question  of  the  adoption  of  a  constitution  for  the  Church. 
The  draft  of  such  an  instrument  had  been  prepared  by 
William  R.  Ehinehart,  and  was  by  him  submitted  for 
consideration.     On  a  motion  made  by  Mr.  Hanby  it  was 

Resolved,  That  a  constitution  for  the  better  regulation  of  the 
Church  be  adopted. 

The  way  being  thus  prepared,  Mr.  Rhinehart's  paper 
was  taken  up,  considered  item  by  item,  and  then  unani- 
mously adopted.  The  Constitution  embraced  throughout 
such  principles  as  had  been  before  recognized  in  the 
government  of  the  Church.  The  purpose  in  embodying 
these  in  a  constitution  was  to  give  them  the  character 
of  fundamental  law,  and  to  make  any  modification 
difficult.  The  provision,  however,  which  was  intended  to 
so  protect  its  several  features  against  change  was  not  a 
strong  one,  only  a  two-thirds  vote  of  any  General  Con- 
ference being  required  for  the  passage  of  an  amendment. 
In  the  Constitution  afterward  adopted  in  1841,  this  was 
so  changed  as  to  make  it  extremely  difficult  to  secure 
any  amendment,  a  two-thirds  majority  vote  of  the  entire 
Church  being  required  for  the  ratification  of  an  amend- 
ment. 

The  following  is  the  Constitution  adopted  in  1837  : 

We,  as  members  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  in  order  to 
retain  a  perfect  union,  aocomphsh  the  ends  of  justice  and  equity, 
insure  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  domestic  tranquillity,  provide  for  the 


262  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

common  interest  of  the  Church,  promote  the  general  welfare  of 
society,  and  to  secure  the  blessings  of  the  gospel  to  ourselves,  our 
posterity,  and  our  fellow-men  in  general,  do  ordain  and  establish 
the  following  Constitution,  for  the  Church  aforesaid: 

ARTICLE  I. 

Section  1.  All  ecclesiastical  power  herein  granted,  to  make  or 
repeal  any  rule  of  discipline,  shall  be  vested  in  a  General  Conference, 
which  shall  consist  of  ministers  chosen  and  elected  by  the  members, 
in  every  conference  district  throughout  the  society.  Nevertheless, 
nothing  shall  be  done  so  as  to  change  the  article  of  faith  or  in  any- 
wise destroy  the  itinerant  plan. 

Sec.  2.  No  minister  shall  be  considered  eligible  for  election  until 
he  has  stood  in  the  capacity  as  elder  for  the  term  of  three  years, 
having  maintained  a  good  moral  character  during  that  time.  Any 
elder  receiving  a  transfer  from  one  conference  to  another  shall  not 
be  considered  eligible  for  election  under  a  term  of  two  years,  and 
not  then  without  a  sufficient  recommendation  from  the  conference 
of  which  he  had  been  a  member. 

Sec.  3.  The  number  of  delegates  from  each  conference  district 
shall  not  exceed  one  for  every  live  hundred  members.  But  should 
it  so  happen  that  a  conference  would  be  formed  in  a  territory  not 
having  five  hundred  members  within  its  district,  that  conference 
shall  nevertheless  have  one  delegate  to  represent  its  members  in 
General  Conference. 

Sec.  4.  If  any  vacancies  should  occur  through  sickness  or  other- 
wise, after  the  election  of  delegates,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  pre- 
siding elder  or  elders  immediately  to  notify  the  next  highest  on  the 
list  of  votes  that  he  is  now  a  member  to  represent  that  district  in 
the  ensuing  General  Conference. 

Sec.  5.  The  bishops  shall  upon  all  occasions  be  considered  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Conference,  to  preside  as  the  organs  of  that  body 
as  in  annual  conferences.  Bishops  shall  be  elected  every  four  years, 
during  the  sitting  of  the  General  Conference,  by  the  members  of 
that  body,  from  among  the  elders  throughout  the  Church  who  may 
have  stood  in  the  capacity  for  a  term  not  less  than  six  years. 

Sec.  6.  The  General  Conference  shall  be  held  once  eveiy  four 
years ;  at  the  adjournment  of  which  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  same 
to  publish  or  cause  to  be  published  (excepting  such  parts  as  may 
not  be  considered  expedient )  all  their  proceedings,  for  the  benefit  of 
society  in  general. 

ARTICLE   II. 

Section  1.    The  members  in  each  conference  district  shall  solely 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    263 

have  the  privilege  of  choosing  and  electing  the  delegates  for  General 
Conference,  which  shall  invariably  be  done  at  least  three  months 
previous  to  the  sitting  of  the  same. 

Sec.  2.  In  the  election  of  delegates  for  General  Conference,  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  each  annual  conference  to  appoint  a  committee 
of  three,  in  their  several  conference  districts,  to  receive  and  count 
the  votes,  and  immediately  apprise  those  who  may  have  been 
elected. 

Sec.  3.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  annual  conference  to 
furnish  the  presiding  elders  with  a  list  of  all  the  elders  eligible  for 
election.  The  presiding  elders  shall  furnish  each  circuit  preacher 
in  charge,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  furnish  each  class-leader  or 
steward  throughout  the  circuit  with  a  copy  of  the  same. 

Sec.  4.     It  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  class-leader  or  steward  to 
-  appoint  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  each  class,  for  the  purpose 
of  electing,  by  ballot  or  otherwise,  one  or  more  delegates  to  represent 
them  in  General  Conference. 

Sec.  5.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  each  class-leader  or  steward 
to  sign,  enclose,  and  seal  each  bill  of  election,  hand  it  over  to  the 
preacher  in  charge;  he  again  to  the  presiding  elder,  whose  duty  it 
shall  be  to  transmit  the  same  to  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
annual  conference. 

Sec.  6.  The  committee  appointed  to  receive  and  count  the  votes 
shall  make  a  list  of  all  the  persons  voted  for  and  the  number  of  votes 
for  each.  Should  any  two  or  more  of  the  candidates  have  an  equal 
number  of  votes,  the  individuals  thus  appointed  shall  determine  by 
lot  who  or  which  of  them  are  elected.  They  shall  also  forward  the 
names  of  those  elected  to  the  conference  printing  establishment  for 
publication. 

ARTICLE   III. 

Section  1.  Each  annual  conference  shall  come  fully  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  General  Conference,  except  under  such  regula- 
tions as  the  General  Conference  may  deem  expedient  in  relation 
to  local  matters,  so  as  not  to  prove  prejudicial  to  the  interest  of  the 
whole  society. 

Sec.  2.  The  business  of  each  annual  conference  shall  strictly  be 
done  according  to  Discipline. 

Sec.  3.  Any  annual  conference  acting  in  violation  of  the  doings 
of  General  Conference  shall,  by  impeachment,  be  tried  by  the  same. 

Sec.  4.  No  annual  conference  shall  have  the  exclusive  right  to 
form  or  admit  any  new  conference  within  the  bounds  of  society, 
without  the  consent  of  the  General  Conference. 

Sec.  5.    AU  officers,  whether  bishops,  presiding  elders,  etc.,  shaU, 


264  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

on  impeachment,  be  dealt  with  according  to  Disciphne,  as  other 
members,  expelled  or  retained,  as  the  case  may  require. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

Section  1.  If  at  any  time  after  the  passing  of  this  Constitution 
it  should  be  contemplated  either  to  alter  or  amend  the  same,  it  shall 
be  the  privilege  of  any  member  in  society  to  publish  or  cause  to  be 
published  such  contemplation  at  least  three  months  before  the  elec- 
tion of  delegates  to  the  General  Conference. 

Sec.  2.  No  General  Conference  shall  have  the  power  to  alter  or 
amend  the  foregoing  Constitution,  except  it  be  by  a  vote  of  two- 
thirds  of  that  body. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

Inasmuch  as  it  is  the  indefeasible  right  of  every  man  to  think  and 
act  for  himself  in  matters  of  faith  and  morality,  this  right  not  only 
being  granted  by  the  charter  of  his  creation,  but  also  by  the  Disci- 
pline adopted  for  the  better  government  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ ;  be  it  resolved,  therefore, 

1.  That  no  rule  be  adopted  by  General  Conference  so  as  to  in- 
fringe upon  the  rights  of  any,  as  it  relates  to  the  mode  and  manner 
of  baptism,  the  sacrameut  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  or  the  washing  of 
feet,  etc. 

2.  Resolved^  No  rule  or  ordinance  shall  be  passed  in  General 
Conference  so  as  to  deprive  the  local  preachers  of  the  eligibility  of 
election  as  delegates  to  the  same;  nor  yet  to  deprive  them  of  their 
legal  vote  in  the  annual  conferences  to  which  they  severally 
belong. 

3.  Resolved^  That  the  foregoing  resolutions  shall  neither  be  altered 
or  appealed  without  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  whole  confer- 
ence. 

Done  in  General  Conference  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  that 
body,  this  11th  day  of  May,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-seven.  In  witness  whereof,  we  have  here- 
unto set  our  names. 

Henry  Kumler,      )  Bishom     ^^^^^^^  Hiskey. 

Samuel  Hiestand,  )     *     ^  '    John  Coons. 

Jacob  Erb.  William  Hanby. 

Jacob  Winter.  John  Fetterhoff. 

Jacob  Rhinehart.  William  Stubbs. 

Jacob  J.  Glossbrenner.  Francis  Whitcom. 

Adam  Hetzler.  John  Lopp. 

David  Weimer.  Frederick  Kenoyer. 

John  Dorcas.  William  Davis. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    265 

The  General  Conference,  in  adopting  this  Constitution, 
had  some  doubts  as  to  its  power  to  limit  the  preroga- 
tives of  future  General  Conferences,  as  is  done  in  Article 
IV.,  Section  2.  It  was  therefore  deemed  wise  to  address 
a  circular  letter  to  the  Church  at  large,  giving  notice  that 
a  memorial  would  be  presented  to  the  next  General  Con- 
ference praying  for  the  ratification  of  this  Constitution,  or 
particularly  of  the  restriction  contained  in  the  article  and 
section  referred  to.     The  letter  is  as  follows : 

To    the    Members  of  the  Church  of  the    United  Brethren  in   Christ 
throughout  these  United  /States: 

Dear  brethren,  by  whose  authority  we,  as  a  General  Conference, 
have  been  authorized  to  legislate  on  matters  pertaining  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  our  Church,  and  having  long  since  been  convinced  of  the 
great  necessity  of  a  constitution  for  the  better  regulation  thereof, 
have,  by  unanimous  consent,  framed  and  established  the  foregoing. 
We  are  well  aware  that  we  have  transcended  the  bounds  given  us 
by  our  Discipline,  which  [transcending  of  bounds]  will  be  found 
in  the  Constitution,  Article  IV.,  Section  2,  declaring  that  the  said 
Constitution  can  neither  be  altered  or  amended  without  a  majority 
of  two-thirds  of  a  General  Conference.  If  there  had  been  a  general 
notice  given  to  the  Church  previous  to  the  election  of  delegates,  that 
there  would  be  a  memorial  offered  to  General  Conference,  pray- 
ing them  to  adopt  a  constitution,  and  to  ratify  it  agreeably  to  Article 
IV.,  Section  2,  then  the  General  Conference  would  have  had  fuU 
power  to  have  done  so.  The  object  of  this  circular  is  ( feeling  that  the 
government  of  our  Church  is  not  as  firm  as  it  ought  to  be )  to  give 
notice  to  our  Church  throughout  the  Union  that  we  intend  to  present 
a  memorial  to  the  next  General  Conference,  praying  them  to  ratify 
the  Constitution  now  adopted,  according  to  [making  it  binding 
under]  Article  IV.,  Section  2,  in  testimony  of  our  ardent  desire  for 
the  welfare  of  our  Church,  and  the  general  spread  of  the  gospel. 

Written  by  order  of  General  Conference,  Germantown,  Ohio, 
May  12,  1837. 

Signed  in  behalf  of  the  same  by 

WiLLiA:\r  R.  Rhixehart,  Secretary. 

The  terms  of  this  Constitution  did  not  require  its  sub- 
mission to  the  Church  for  approval  by  a  popular  vote.  It 
was  the  purpose  of  this  letter,  however,  to  bring  it  to  the 


266  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

consideration  of  the  people,  so  that  in  voting  for  delegates 
to  the  next  General  Conference  they  might  choose  their 
delegates  with  reference  to  further  contemplated  action 
on  the  Constitution. 

The  reader  will  at  once  be  struck  with  the  somewhat 
ambiguous  or  doubtful  character  of  some  portions  of  this 
circular.  The  impression  upon  first  reading  will  generally 
be  that  the  General  Conference  entertained  doubts  as  to  its 
power  to  adopt  a  constitution.  A  second  reading  will  lead 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  feeling  of  doubt  did  not  apply  to 
the  Constitution  as  a  whole,  but  to  that  particular  feature 
which  proposed  to  limit  the  powers  of  future  General 
Conferences. 

It  will  be  of  interest  here  to  reproduce  the  comment  of 
Ex-Bishop  Hanby,  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope  in  1839. 
In  an  editorial  in  that  year,  two  years  before  the  General 
Conference  of  1841,  in  reply  to  a  question  by  Rev.  William 
R.  Coursey,  Mr.  Hanby  indicates  conclusively  what  the 
mind  of  the  General  Conference  of  1837  was  as  to  its 
powers.  Their  action  was  considered  as  final,  except  in 
regard  to  the  article  and  section  as  above.  The  following 
is  what  Mr.  Hanby,  a  member  of  the  General  Conference 
of  1837,  said: 

"Here  we  must  confess  that  we  do  not  understand 
Brother  Coursey,  unless  he  is  of  the  opinion  that  the 
present  Constitution  is  void  and  of  no  eff'ect.  If  so,  we 
think  he  is  mistaken.  It  was  not,  by  any  means,  con- 
sidered that  the  Constitution  would  be  null  and  void  for 
four  years,  and  that  therefore  a  petition  should  be  offered  to 
the  next  General  Conference,  praying  for  the  enactment  of 
a  certain  specification,  as  set  forth  in  the  circular  of  the 
Discipline.  General  Conference  did  by  no  means  doubt 
their  right  to  gather  up  the  detached  principles  of  govern- 
ment as  contained  in  the   Discipline  and  throw  them  to- 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    267 

getlier  in  the  form  of  a  constitution,  and  even  make 
amendments  to  them,  but  they  did  doubt  the  right  of  de- 
claring that  that  Constitution  should  be  neither  altered  nor 
amended  without  a  majority  of  two-thirds  of  a  General 
Conference,  and  that  was,  we  think,  the  only  object  of  the 
circular,  and  that  is  the  only  specification  set  forth  in  the 
circular.  Presuming,  then,  that  the  Constitution  is  equally 
valid  with  other  parts  of  the  Discipline,  we  refer  Brother 
Coursey  to  the  second  article  in  the  Constitution  as  ex- 
hibiting a  satisfactory  manner  of  procedure." 

II.       THE    EIGHTH    GENERAL    CONFERENCE 1841. 

The  General  Conference  of  1841,  regarded  from  the 
historical  standpoint,  occupies  a  place  among  the  most 
important  of  the  entire  series  of  General  Conferences,  its 
special  distinction  being  that  of  framing  and  adopting  a 
constitution  for  the  Church  which  was  accepted  for  a  period 
of  nearly  a  half  century.  This  conference  assembled  on  the 
10th  of  May  of  that  year,  at  Dresbach's  Church,  in  Pick- 
away County,  Ohio.  The  conference  consisted  of  twenty- 
three  ministers,  including  two  bishops.  The  bishops  were 
Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  and  Jacob  Erb.  The  delegates  and 
the  conferences  they  represented  were  as  follows : 

Pennsylvania — John  Pussel,  Jacob  Poop. 

Virginia — J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  W.  P.  Coursey. 

Allegheny — J.  Pitter,  G.  Miller. 

Muskingum — Alexander  Biddle,  James  McGaw. 

Sandusky — Henry  G.  Spayth,  George  Hiskey. 

Scioto — William  Hastings,  John  Coons,  J.  Montgomery, 
E.  Yandemark. 

Miami — Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  Francis  Whitcom. 

Indiana — Henry  Bonebrake,  Joseph  A.  Ball,  J.  G. 
Eckels. 

Wahash — Josiah  Davis,  William  Davis. 


268  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

A  Second  Constitution  Adopted. 

To  what  extent  the  delegates  to  this  General  Conference 
may  have  regarded  themselves  as  being  instructed  in 
respect  to  the  approval  of  the  Constitution  as  framed  in 
1837,  does  not  appear.  The  circular  letter  which  was  sent 
to  the  Church  distinctly  contemplated  the  ratification  of 
this  Constitution,  under  its  final  article,  after  due  me- 
morials to  the  General  Conference,  as  appears  in  the  follow- 
ing announcement :  ''The  object  of  this  circular  is  (feeling 
that  the  government  of  our  Church  is  not  as  firm  as 
it  ought  to  be)  to  give  notice  to  our  Church  through- 
out the  Union  that  we  intend  to  present  a  memorial 
to  the  next  General  Conference,  praying  them  to  ratify 
the  Constitution  now  adopted,  according  to  Article  IV., 
Section  2."  This  provision  of  the  circular  seems  to  have 
been  entirely  passed  by.  The  Constitution  as  framed  and 
unanimously  approved  by  the  General  Conference  of  1837, 
and,  with  the  accompanying  circular,  laid  before  the  people, 
certainly  was  not  ratified,  as  contemplated.  There  is  no 
evidence  that  it  was  even  considered.  The  General  Con- 
ference, according  to  the  terms  of  the  Constitution  and  of 
the  circular,  had  power  to  do  but  one  of  two  things,  that 
is,  to  ratify  or  reject.  Far  from  this,  the  conference 
passed  by  both  the  Constitution  and  the  circular  and 
proceeded  de  novo  to  form  a  constitution. 

In  general,  the  essential  features  of  the  instrument  of 
1837  reappear  in  that  of  1841,  in  rearranged,  condensed, 
and  greatly  changed  form,  while  some  new  features  are 
added.  The  provision  against  possible  hasty  amendment 
is  taken  from  the  General  Conference  and  transferred  to 
the  people  of  the  entire  Church,  requiring,  as  before,  a  two- 
thirds  majority  to  sustain  any  proposed  alteration  or 
amendment.  A  very  important  feature,  that  providing 
for    pro  rata   representation,   is   entirely  eliminated.     The 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    269 

provisions  against  secret  societies  and  slavery  are  new 
matter.  The  instrument,  in  its  general  expression,  is  a 
decided  improvement  upon  that  of  1837.  The  just  criti- 
cism against  the  attitude  of  this  General  Conference  lies 
in  its  assumption  of  final  authority,  as  against  the  declara- 
tion of  the  General  Conference  of  1837.  That  conference 
recognized  the  principle  of  submission  to  the  people,  who 
should  have  a  voice  through  the  delegates  whom  they 
would  elect,  either  for  or  against  ratification.  This  con- 
ference assumed  the  authority  to  declare  its  work  final, 
without  submission  to  the  people,  and  so  provided  as  to 
make  all  future  amendment  difficult.  Nevertheless,  this 
Constitution,  so  framed  and  adopted,  acquired,  by  the 
silent  acquiescence  of  the  Church,  probably  all  the  validity 
inherent  in  fundamental  law,  and  as  such  remained  in 
full  force  until,  in  1885-89,  it  was  amended  by  the  con- 
current action  of  the  General  Conference  and  the  Church 
at  large. 

The  following  is  the  text  of  the  Constitution  of  1841  as 
adopted : 

We,  the  members  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  in  the  name  of  God,  do,  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ,  as 
well  as  to  produce  and  secure  a  uniform  mode  of  action,  in  faith  and 
practice,  also  to  define  the  powers  and  the  business  of  quarterly, 
annual,  and  general  conferences,  as  recognized  by  this  Church,  or- 
dain the  following  articles  of  Constitution: 

ARTICLE  I. 

Section  1.  All  ecclesiastical  power  herein  granted,  to  make  or 
repeal  any  rule  of  discipline,  is  vested  in  a  General  Conference,  which 
shall  consist  of  elders,  elected  by  the  members  in  every  conference 
district  throughout  the  society  ;  provided,  however,  such  elders  shall 
have  stood  in  that  capacity  three  years,  in  the  conference  district 
to  which  they  belong. 

Sec.  2.  General  Conference  is  to  be  held  every  four  years;  the 
bishops  to  be  considered  members  and  presiding  officers. 


270  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Sec.  3.  Each  annual  conference  shall  place  before  the  society 
the  names  of  all  the  elders  eligible  to  membership  in  the  General 
Conference, 

ARTICLE   II. 

Section  1.  The  General  Conference  shall  define  the  boundaries  of 
the  annual  conferences. 

Sec.  2.  The  General  Conference  shall,  at  every  session,  elect 
bishops  from  among  the  elders  throughout  the  Church  who  have 
stood  six  years  in  that  capacity. 

Sec.  3.  The  business  of  each  annual  conference  shall  be  done 
strictly  according  to  Discipline;  and  any  annual  conference  acting 
contrary  thereto  shall,  by  impeachment,  be  tried  by  the  General 
Conference. 

Sec.  4.  No  rule  or  ordinance  shall  at  any  time  be  passed  to 
change  or  do  away  the  Confession  of  Faith  as  it  now  stands,  nor  to 
destroy  the  itinerant  plan. 

Sec.  5.  There  shall  no  rule  be  adopted  that  will  infringe  upon  the 
rights  of  any  as  it  relates  to  tlie  mode  of  baptism,  the  sacrament  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  or  the  washing  of  feet. 

Sec.  6.  There  shall  be  no  rule  made  that  will  deprive  local 
preachers  of  their  votes  in  the  annual  conferences  to  which  they 
severally  belong. 

Sec.  7.  There  shall  be  no  connection  with  secret  combinations, 
nor  shall  involuntary  servitude  be  tolerated  in  any  way. 

Sec.  8.    The  right  of  appeal  shall  be  inviolate, 

ARTICLE    III, 

The  right,  title,  interest,  and  claim  of  all  property,  whether  con- 
sisting in  lots  of  ground,  meeting-houses,  legacies,  bequests,  or  dona- 
tions of  any  kind,  obtained  by  purchase  or  otherwise,  by  any  person 
or  persons,  for  the  use,  benefit,  and  behoof  of  the  Church  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,  is  hereby  fully  recognized  and  held  to 
be  the  property  of  the  Church  aforesaid. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

There  shall  be  no  alteration  of  the  foregoing  Constitution,  unless 
by  request  of  two-thirds  of  the  whole  society. 

The  voice  of  the  conference  in  the  final  adoption  of 
this  Constitution  is  not  officially  recorded.  According  to 
the  best  authorities,  the  vote  was  not  unanimous,  but  the 
motion  to  adopt  was  carried  by  a  large  majority. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    271 
The  Confession  of  Faith. 

This  General  Conference  made  some  slight  changes  in 
the  Confession  of  Faith,  as  other  General  Conferences  had 
done  before.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  principle 
that  the  General  Conference,  as  the  highest  authority  then 
recognized  in  the  Church,  possessed  final  authority  on  this 
and  all  other  subjects  connected  wdth  its  system  of  doctrine 
or  rules  of  practice.  This  same  conference,  however,  went 
a  step  beyond  this  and  embodied  in  the  Constitution  a 
restrictive  clause  intended  to  prohibit  all  future  changes 
in  the  Confession  of  Faith.  This  prohibition  was  not 
strictly  observed.  Slight  amendments  of  a  verbal  character 
were  afterward  introduced  in  the  Confession  of  Faith 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1857.  For  a  full  view  of 
amendments  see  the  pamphlet  by  Drs.  A.  W.  Drury  and 
J.  P.  Landis  entitled  "The  Confession  of  Faith  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ — Its  Various  Changes."^ 

The  following  is  the  Confession  of  Faith  as  approved 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1841  : 

In  the  name  of  God  we  declare  and  confess  before  all  men,  that  we 
believe  in  the  only  true  God,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost;  that  these  three  are  one  —  the  Father  in  the  Son,  the  Son  in 
the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  or  being  with  both  ; 
that  this  triune  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  all  that 
in  them  is,  visible  as  well  as  invisible,  and  furthermore  sustains, 
governs,  protects,  and  supports  the  same. 

We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ ;  that  he  is  very  God  and  man  ;  that 
he  became  incarnate  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Virgin 
Mary,  and  was  born  of  her  ;  that  he  is  the  Saviour  and  Mediator 
of  the  whole  human  race,  if  they  with  full  faith  in  him  accept  the 
grace  proffered  in  Jesus  ;  that  this  Jesus  suffered  and  died  on  the 
cross  for  us,  was  buried,  arose  again  on  the  third  day,  ascended  into 
heaven,  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  to  intercede  for  us  ; 
and  that  he  shall  come  again  at  the  last  day,  to  judge  the  quick 
and  the  dead. 

We  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that  he  is  equal  in  being  with  the 

'  See  also  Appendix  I. 


272  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Father  and  the  Son,  and  that  he  comforts  the  faithful,  and  guides 
them  into  all  truth. 

We  believe  in  a  holy  Christian  Church,  the  communion  of  saints, 
the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  life  everlasting. 

We  believe  that  the  Holy  Bible,  Old  and  New  Testaments,  is 
the  word  of  God  ;  that  it  contains  the  only  true  way  to  our 
salvation  ;  that  every  true  Christian  is  bound  to  acknowledge  and 
receive  it  with  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God  as  the  only  rule 
and  guide;  and  that  without  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  true  repent- 
ance, forgiveness  of  sins,  and  following  after  Christ,  no  one  can  be 
a  true  Christian. 

We  also  believe  that  what  is  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  to 
wit,  the  fall  in  Adam  and  redemption  through  Jesus  Christ,  shall  be 
preached  throughout  the  world. 

We  believe  that  the  ordinances,  viz.,  baptism  and  the  remem- 
brance of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  are  to  be 
in  use,  and  practiced  by  all  Christian  societies  ;  and  that  it  is  incum- 
bent on  all  the  children  of  God  particularly  to  practice  them ;  but 
the  manner  in  which  ought  always  to  be  left  to  the  judgment  and 
understanding  of  every  individual.  Also  the  example  of  washing 
feet  is  left  to  the  judgment  of  every  one,  to  practice  or  not ;  but  it  is 
not  becoming  for  any  of  our  preachers  or  members  to  traduce  any 
of  his  brethren  whose  judgment  and  understanding  in  this  respect 
are  different  from  his  own,  either  in  public  or  private.  Whosoever 
shall  make  himself  guilty  in  this  respect  shall  be  considered  a 
traducer  of  his  brethren,  and  shall  be  answerable  for  the  same. 

Other  Business. 

In  the  legislation  on  temperance  an  important  advance 
was  taken  by  this  conference  upon  the  ordinance  of  1833, 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  ardent  spirits  being  pro- 
hibited to  all  the  members  of  the  Church.  The  opening 
sentence  of  the  section  reads,  "The  distilling  and  vending 
of  ardent  spirits  shall  hereafter  be  forbidden  throughout 
our  whole  society."  Druggists  and  others  selling  only  for 
medicinal  or  mechanical  purposes  were  exempted  from  this 
prohibition. 

This  conference  elected  William  Hanby  editor  of  the 
Religious  Telescope,  and  Jonathan  Dresbach,  George  Dres- 
bach,  and  William  Leist  trustees  of  the  Printing  Establish- 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1831  AND  1841    273 

ment.  A  parent  missionary  board  was  also  elected,  and 
the  conference  resolved  that  a  German  paper  be  established 
at  Baltimore,  Maryland.  The  name  of  the  paper  was  to  be 
Die  Geschclftige  Martha  (Busy  Martha).  Jacob  Erb  was 
elected  editor  and  financial  manager.  This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  present  Der  Frohliche  Botschafter.  Henry 
Kumler,  Sen.,  and  Jacob  Erb  were  reelected  bishops,  and 
Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  and  John  Coons  were  also  chosen 
to  the  bishop's  office.  The  conference  continued  in  session 
ten  days,  and  the  meeting  is  spoken  of  as  having  been 
remarkably  harmonious  and  pleasant.  The  earlier  General 
Conferences  were  able  to  transact  their  business  in  brief 
periods  of  time.  That  of  1815,  the  initial  General  Con- 
ference, sat  for  five  days  ;  those  of  1817  and  1825  three 
days  each  ;   and  those  of  1821  and  1829  each  four  days. 

III.       PERSONAL    NOTES. 

1.     Jacob  Erb. 

Jacob  Erb,  who  succeeded  William  Brown  in  the  office 
of  bishop,  was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
on  May  25,  1804.  His  parents  on  both  sides  were  of 
Swiss  origin,  and  of  Mennonite  antecedents.  Two  brothers 
of  his  mother.  Christian  and  Abraham  Hershey,  were 
United  Brethren  ministers.  He  was  converted  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  at  a  meeting  in  his  father's  house,  a  regular 
preaching  place  for  the  United  Brethren.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  he  became  a  member  of  the  Hagerstown,  or 
original.  Conference,  and  was  sent  to  work  on  the  Lan- 
caster Circuit,  a  charge  then  having  thirty  appointments,  a 
number  which  he  soon  increased  to  fortv.  At  the  asfe  of 
twenty-one  he  went  as  a  missionary  to  western  New  York 
and  Canada,  planting  some  of  the  early  outposts  of  the 
Church.     In  July,  1830,  he  baptized  in  the  Susquehanna 


274  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

River,  at  Harrisburg,  Elder  John  Winebrenner,  the  founder 
of  the  Church  of  God,  or  Winebrennarians,  as  the  follow- 
ers of  Mr.  Winebrenner  were  long  called.  Mr.  Erb  and 
Mr.  Winebrenner  were  close  friends,  and  had  frequently- 
been  associated  together  in  revival  meetings. 

In  1829  Mr.  Erb,  then  twenty-five  years  of  age,  was 
elected  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference,  and  again  in 
1833  and  1837.  The  latter  conference  elected  him  to  the 
bishop's  office.  In  this  relation  he  served  for  two  terms, 
and  was  again  elected  in  1849  for  another  term  of  four 
years,  making  his  time  of  service  twelve  years  in  all. 
From  1841  to  1842  he  was  editor  and  publisher  of  Die 
Geschaftige  Martha,  published  in  Baltimore  by  order  of 
the  General  Conference.  Bishop  Erb  lived  through  a 
long  and  busy  life,  dying  on  April  29,  1883,  at  almost 
seventy-nine  years  of  age.  Sixty  years  of  his  life  were 
given  to  the  ministry  of  the  word,  and  during  all  this 
period  he  never  failed  to  attend  a  single  session  of  his 
conference,  except  the  last,  when  the  feebleness  of  old 
age  forbade  his  being  present.  He  did  not,  however, 
forget  his  brethren,  but  wrote  to  the  conference  a  letter 
that  was  full  of  the  cheer  and  hopefulness  which  so 
strongly  characterized  his  Christian  life.  "I  love  to  look 
back,"  said  he,  "and  see  the  progress  which  we  as  a 
church  have  made."  Then,  referring  to  some  of  the 
special  departments  of  church  work,  he  continued :  "  I 
thank  God  that  I  have  lived  to  see  this  day,  which 
presents  such  grand  monuments  of  substantial  growth  of 

the  Church  of  the  United   Brethren  in  Christ A 

kind  Heavenly  Father  granted  to  me  the  privilege  of 
attending,  in  consecutive  order,  sixty  annual  sessions  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Conference.  Could  I  be  present  with 
you,  this  would  be  my  sixty-first.  My  faith  in  God  is 
strong,  my  confidence  in  his  w^ord  unshaken,  and  I  know 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    275 

by  personal  experience  that  there  is  a  power  in  true 
rehgion.  The  future  of  a  blessed  life  is  to  me  full  of  hope 
and  promise.     God  is  my  refuge  and  my  strength."^ 

Bishop  Erb  was  a  man  of  medium  height,  possessed  a 
fine  face,  in  which  the  lineaments  of  his  nationality  were 
well  preserved,  w^as  a  man  of  habitually  cheerful  spirit, 
preached  by  preference  in  the  German  language,  and  was 
often  emotional,  tender,  and  impressive.  Between  the  duties 
of  a  circuit  preacher,  presiding  elder,  stationed  pastor,  and 
bishop,  he  passed  a  busy  and  useful  life,  and  was  laid  to 
rest  in  an  honored  grave.  Bishop  Dickson  officiated  at  the 
funeral  service.  His  remains  sleep  in  a  cemetery  near 
Shiremanstown,  Pennsylvania. 

2.     Henry  Kumler,  Jun. 

Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  son  of  the  elder  Bishop  Henry 
Kumler,  was  elected  by  the  General  Conference  of  1841  to 
the  office  of  bishop.  By  his  election  there  was  presented  the 
unusual  spectacle  of  a  father  and  son  occupying  this  high 
office  at  the  same  time.  He  was  born  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania,  on  January  9,  1801,  and  w^as  now  just  forty 
years  of  age,  and  in  the  prime  of  his  physical  and  intel- 
lectual vigor.  The  elder  bishop,  we  have  already  seen, 
w^as  of  Reformed  antecedents ;  the  mother  was  of  the 
Mennonite  Church.  The  conversion  of  the  father,  about 
the  year  1812,  led  to  the  entire  family's  becoming  members 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church.  Young  Henry's  conver- 
sion occurred  when  he  was  about  eleven  years  of  age.  At 
fourteen  he  became  leader  of  a  class  some  three  and  a 
half  miles  from  his  home.  At  nineteen  he  was  licensed 
to  preach,  his  credentials  being  signed  by  Bishop  New- 
comer. To  his  subsequent  great  regret  he  did  not  for 
sixteen   years  enter   unreservedly    upon   the  work  of  the 

1  Dr.  H.  A.  Thompson's  Our  Bishops,  pp.  237,  238. 


276  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ministry,  enduring  what  he  afterward  called  "Egyptian 
servitude."  Breaking  away  at  last  from  the  worldly 
trammels  which  hindered  him,  and  giving  himself  wdth 
a  complete  consecration  to  the  work,  he  began  a  career 
of  much  usefulness  to  the  Church  and  of  great  joy  to 
himself.  When  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  his  father 
with  all  the  family  removed  w^est,  establishing  a  new  home 
in  Butler  County,  Ohio.  Henry,  after  his  marriage,  chose 
a  home  near  Lewisburg,  in  Preble  County,  and  here  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  w^as  spent.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  Miami  Conference,  served  for  many  years  as  pre- 
siding elder,  and  was  a  number  of  times  sent  as  a  delegate 
to  the  General  Conference.  His  earnestness  and  energy 
made  so  favorable  an  impression  upon  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1841  that  he  w^as  by  that  body  chosen  as  bishop. 
After  one  term  of  service  he  entered  again  the  itinerant 
field,  to  be  reelected  in  1857  as  bishop  of  the  German  con- 
ferences. He  declined  this  election,  and  was  again  chosen 
for  the  same  office  in  1861.  In  1865  the  office  of  bishop 
of  the  German  w^ork  w^as  discontinued. 

Bishop  Kumler  was  a  man  of  robust  physical  frame 
and  of  impressive  personal  presence.  He  was  a  vigorous 
thinker,  and  an  earnest  defender  of  any  position  he 
espoused.  In  the  annual  or  General  Conference  no  man 
was  ever  more  constantly  on  the  alert,  not  a  word  spoken 
by  friend  or  opponent  ever  escaping  his  attention.  On 
some  questions  he  was  conservative,  on  others  progressive 
in  the  best  sense.  In  the  prolonged  controversies  on  the 
secret-society  question  he  w\as  with  the  radicals,  though 
it  may  be  doubted  whether,  if  he  had  lived  to  the  time 
of  the  radical  secession,  he  would  have  surrendered  his 
connection  with  the  Church  he  so  long  toiled  to  build 
up.  He  was  intensely  loyal  to  the  Church,  and  sought 
unceasingly  to  build  up  her  interests.     Personally,  Bishop 


Joseph  Hoffman. 


William  Brown. 


Jacob  Erb. 


Henry  Kumler,  Jun. 


John  Coons. 


John  Rdssel.* 


William  Hanby, 


Lewis  Davis. 


THE  GENERAL   CONFERENCES  OF  1837  AND  1841    277 

Kumler  was  of  a  sunny  disposition,  fond  of  j^leasantry 
and  humor,  qualities  which  he  inherited  from  his  father. 
As  an  antagonist  in  debate,  he  often  struck  hard  blows, 
but  with  so  much  good  humor  and  genuine  kindliness  of 
heart  that  one  might  deem  it  quite  as  agreeable  to  be 
opposed  to  as  in  agreement  with  him.  In  his  religious 
life  he  was  deep,  sincere,  and  earnest.  His  last  years 
were  spent  in  Dayton,  where  several  of  his  children  live. 
Among  these  is  Mrs.  D.  L.  Rike,  so  widely  known  from 
her  connection  with  the  woman's  missionary  work,  and 
Mr.  S.  E.  Kumler,  who  rendered  so  valuable  service  recently 
in  the  work  of  relieving  Otterbein  University  from  its 
long  embarrassment.  Bishop  Kumler  died  August  19, 
1882,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age.  His  remains 
were  laid  to  rest  by  the  side  of  his  wife  and  other  mem- 
bers of  his  family  in  the  United  Brethren  burying-ground 
at  Lewisburg.  Rev.  C.  Schneider,  pastor  of  the  German 
United  Brethren  church,  preached  his  funeral  sermon  in 
Dayton,  in  German,  followed  by  Bishop  Glossbrenner  in 
English.  Dr.  L.  Davis  preached  a  sermon  in  the  church 
at  Lewisburg  to  the  bishop's  old  neighbors  and  friends. 

3.  John  Coons. 
In  the  same  year  in  which  the  younger  Kumler  was 
elected  bishop,  John  Coons  was  also  chosen  to  that  office, 
so  that  the  episcopal  board  now  stood,  Henry  Kumler, 
Sen.,  Jacob  Erb,  Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  and  John  Coons. 
Mr.  Coons  was  born  in  Martinsburg,  Virginia,  on  October 
25,  1797,  and  when  about  ten  years  of  age  was  brought 
by  his  parents  to  Ross  County,  Ohio.  He  was  converted 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four  under  the  labors  of  the  noted 
revivalist  Jacob  Antrim,  of  the  Miami  Conference.  He 
3oon  began  to  preach,  and  in  the  year  following,  1822, 
tvas  received  into  membership  in  the  Miami  Conference. 


278  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

He  was  ordained  as  an  elder  in  the  Church  on  May 
18,  1826,  by  Bishops  Christian  Newcomer  and  Henry 
Kumler,  Sen.  On  the  division  of  the  Miami  Confer- 
ence his  residence  placed  him  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Scioto,  but  on  removing  in  1845  to  the  Miami  Valley  he 
again  became  a  member  of  the  Miami  Conference.  He 
was  chosen  a  delegate  from  the  Scioto  Conference  to  each 
of  the  General  Conferences  from  1829  to  1841,  thus  being 
a  member  of  the  body  which  framed  and  adopted  the 
Constitution  of  1837,  and  again  of  the  conference  which 
formed  the  Constitution  of  1841.  In  the  ofhce  of  bishop, 
to  which  this  conference  elected  him,  he  served  only  a 
single  term.  Throughout  his  life  he  was  lacking  in  robust 
health,  and  the  hard  service  required  in  the  bishop's  office 
placed  too  heavy  a  strain  upon  his  physical  strength.  His 
latest  residence  after  his  removal  to  the  Miami  Valley 
was  in  the  city  of  Dayton,  and  here  his  death  occurred 
on  August  7,  1869,  he  being  then  in  the  seventy-second 
year  of  his  age. 

Bishop  Coons  is  remembered  by  many  of  the  older 
members  of  the  Church  as  a  man  of  fine  personal  pres- 
ence. He  was  tall,  straight  in  form,  dignified  in  carriage, 
dark  in  complexion,  with  keen,  expressive  eyes,  set  under 
deep,  arching  eyebrows,  and  in  the  pulpit  was  an  elegant 
figure.  He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  without  the 
aggressiveness  of  one  born  to  lead,  but  his  opinions  on 
any  important  question  were  sought  for  and  respected. 
In  utterance  he  was  strong,  clear,  and  engaging,  so  that 
as  a  preacher  he  was  everywhere  warmly  welcomed  ;  in 
private  life  he  was  affable  and  agreeable,  so  that  among 
the  people  whom  he  visited  he  was  gladly  received.  A 
large  portion  of  his  service  to  the  Church  was  rendered 
in  the  office  of  presiding  elder.  To  the  living  who  knew 
him  his  name  remains  as  an  honored  treasure. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849 
I.       EXTENDING   THE    BOUNDARIES. 

The  period  from  1841  forward  marks  a  rapid  expansion 
of  the  Church,  especially  in  the  newer  regions  westward. 
In  all  of  the  conferences,  now  nine  in  nmnber,  there  was 
much  activity,  but  some  of  them  were  reaching  out  into 
districts  far  beyond  their  original  limits.  The  Wabash 
Conference,  for  example,  which,  at  its  organization  in  1835, 
embraced  all  of  northern  Indiana,  was  now  extending  its 
boundaries  until  it  included  all  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
with  outposts  in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  Starting  with 
twelve  ministers  and  six  charges,  it  reported  in  1842  fifty 
preachers,  thirteen  applicants  for  license,  and  some  twenty 
circuits  and  missions.  So  earnestly  was  the  work  pressed 
forward  that  in  the  year  1842  there  were  reported  net  gains 
in  membership  amounting  to  two  thousand  one  hundred 
and  forty-four.  At  the  session  of  the  Sandusky  Conference 
for  the  same  year  there  appeared  fifteen  applicants  for 
license  to  preach.  The  number  of  ministers  in  this  con- 
ference had  advanced  in  ten  years  from  twenty-five  to 
sixty-one.  Revival  meetings  of  great  power  were  occur- 
ring in  many  places,  and  large  numbers  were  being  added 
to  the  Church.  This  expansion  of  the  work  was  largely 
encouraged  by  the  organization  of  local  or  home  mis- 
sionary societies  within  a  number  of  the  annual  confer- 
ences. These  societies  were  preparing  the  way  for  the 
formation  of  the  central  and  more  far-reaching  organiza- 

279 


280  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

tion,  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society, 
in  1853.  The  previous  provision  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence for  the  organization  of  a  general  missionary  society, 
already  referred  to,  had  proved  ineflFectual,  while  the  work 
of  local  organization  continued.  These  local  societies,  by 
providing  means  for  the  extension  of  home  and  frontier 
work,  proved  very  efficient  in  pushing  the  work  into 
regions  where  the  name  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
had  not  before  been  heard  of. 

Up  to  this  time,  and  for  some  years  later,  no  general 
statistics  of  the  Church  were  preserved,  the  neglect  growing 
out  of  a  traditional  feeling  that  Zion  should  not  be  num- 
bered. The  number  of  ministers  and  of  circuits  or  charges 
was  kept.  A  table  prepared  by  Bishop  Hanby  from  the 
reports  for  1845  shows  that  in  the  five  years  preceding 
there  was  an  advance  from  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven 
ministers  to  five  hundred  and  eighty-one,  an  increase  of 
one  hundred  and  ninety-four,  and  in  charges  from  ninety 
to  one  hundred  and  eighty,  the  number  being  just  doubled.^ 
The  lay  membership,  as  estimated  by  the  best  authorities, 
was  about  thirty  thousand. 

II.       THE   NINTH    GENERAL   CONFERENCE 1845. 

The  General  Conference  of  1845  gave  attention  chiefly 
to  such  routine  business  as  comes  up  at  any  session,  but 
it  also  gave  proof  of  a  progressive  spirit,  as  will  presently 
be  seen.  The  conference  was  held  at  Circleville,  Ohio, 
commencing  on  May  10.  The  nine  annual  conferences 
were  represented  by  twenty-four  delegates.  The  list  of 
names  shows  a  number  of  strong  men  as  members  of  this 
conference.  In  addition  to  the  Kumlers,  father  and  son, 
as  bishops,  we  find  the  names  of  Russel,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  Glossbrenner  and  Markwood,  of  Virginia,  all  of  whom 

» See  Spasrth's  HisUyry,  p.  289. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    281 

became  bishops,  each  giving  great  distinction  to  the  office. 
Another  member  from  Virginia  was  J.  Bachtel,  one  of  the 
most  courageous  men  who  ever  stood  with  a  small  minority 
in  defense  of  principles  in  which  he  believed.  From 
Muskingum  Conference  was  Alexander  Biddle,  the  only 
surviving  member  of  this  General  Conference,  as  also  of 
the  historic  conference  of  1841.  From  Scioto  were  E. 
Vandemark  and  Joshua  Montgomery  ;  from  Miami,  George 
Bonebrake  ;  from  Indiana,  Henry  Bonebrake.  All  of  these 
men  were  accounted  as  "giants  in  those  days,"  and  some 
of  them  for  many  years  afterward. 

This  conference  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
to  lead  in  the  encouragement  of  education  in  the  Church. 
A  resolution  was  adopted,  providing  that  suitable  measures 
be  devised  for  the  establishment  of  an  institution  of  learn- 
ing, and  commending  the  subject  to  the  favorable  attention 
of  the  annual  conferences.  This  resolution,  after  full  dis- 
cussion, was  happily  adopted  by  a  nearly  unanimous  vote. 
The  subject  will  be  found  more  fully  referred  to  in  an 
appropriate  place  in  this  volume. 

In  its  election  of  general  church  officers  this  conference 
made  radical  changes.  On  counting  the  ballots  for  bishops 
it  was  found  that  an  entirely  new  board  had  been  elected, 
namely,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  John  Russel,  and  William 
Hanby.  David  Edwards,  afterward  Bishop  Edwards,  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Hanby  as  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  and 
the  paper  was  ordered  to  be  issued  weekly. 

An  important  step  was  taken  in  providing  a  course  of 
reading  for  licentiates  in  the  ministry.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  what  has  since  grown  into  a  very  complete 
system  of  study,  and  of  inestimable  value  in  the  equip- 
ping of  young  men  for  the  broadening  requirements  of 
the  ministerial  office. 

Four  new  conferences  were  authorized — the  East  Penn- 


282  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

sylvania,  the   Illinois,  the  St.  Joseph,  and  the  Iowa,  and 
provision  was  made  for  the  division  of  the  Indiana. 

The  General  Conference  of  1841  had  requested  some 
of  the  older  ministers  then  living  to  furnish  to  a  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  C.  Smith,  J.  Erb,  and  J.  Kussel,  "all 
the  facts  in  their  possession  in  relation  to  the  rise,  etc.,  of 
the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  in  America,"  the  committee 
being  charged  with  the  duty  of  preparing  from  the  mate- 
rials so  furnished  a  history  of  the  Church.  The  move- 
ment seems  to  have  resulted  in  complete  failure,  and  at 
the  General  Conference  of  1845  the  subject  was  brought  up 
again.  The  conference  then  appointed  Henry  G.  Spayth 
to  undertake  the  work.  With  many  advantages  in  his 
favor,  j\Ir.  Spayth  found  the  task  by  no  means  an  easy  one. 
After  some  delay  he  set  about  the  work,  and,  finally,  in 
January,  1850,  he  completed  his  manuscript.  Careful  revi- 
sion followed,  and  the  history  was  issued  in  1851.  Every 
student  of  this  work  will  be  impressed  with  its  great  value 
as  an  early  and  trustworthy  source  of  materials  for  United 
Brethren  history.  With  his  education  chiefly  in  the 
German  language,  Mr.  Spayth's  style  is  frequently  found 
defective,  and  one  could  wish  that  some  things  had  been 
given  more  fully.  But  the  work  proves  the  possession  on 
his  part  not  only  of  extensive  knowledge  of  the  subjects 
treated,  but  a  discriminating  grasp  of  the  causes  which  led 
up  to  the  founding  of  the  Church  and  its  subsequent 
development  through  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 

III.       THE   TENTH    GENERAL   CONFERENCE 1849. 

The  tenth  General  Conference  convened  at  Germantown, 
in  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  on  j\Iay  14,  1849.  Thirty- 
seven  delegates,  representing  thirteen  conferences,  were  in 
attendance.  The  presiding  bishops  were  Eussel,  Gloss- 
brenner,  and  Hanby. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    283 

Aside  from  the  usual  business  pertaining  to  any  Gen- 
eral Conference,  including  the  election  of  general  officers, 
only  a  single  subject  awakened  much  interest.  This  was 
the  subject  of  secret  societies,  destined  not  many  years 
afterward  to  acquire  so  large  a  place  in  the  counsels  of  the 
Church.  In  1833  the  rule  against  Freemasonry  had  been 
adopted  by  the  General  Conference.  Since  then  the  subject 
had  rested  in  quiet,  except  in  1841,  when  the  prohibition 
clause  against  secret  combinations  was  adopted  as  a  part  of 
the  Constitution.  Some  minor  orders,  especially  the  Sons 
of  Temperance,  had  now  grown  into  prominence.  A  con- 
siderable number  of  the  younger  people  of  the  Church  had 
become  connected  with  the  latter  order,  generally  in  the 
belief  that  as  Freemasonry  was  particularly  named  in  the 
law  incorporated  in  the  Disciphne,  connection  with  the  Sons 
of  Temperance  was  not  prohibited.  An  ordinance  intended 
to  cover  the  entire  field  of  secret  combinations  was  offered 
by  Caleb  W.  AVitt,  of  the  White  River  Conference,  in  the 
words : 

Freemasonry,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  shall  be  totally  pro- 
hibited, and  there  shall  be  no  connection  with  secret  combinations 
( a  secret  combination  is  one  whose  initiatory  ceremony  or  bond  of 
union  is  a  secret ) ;  and  any  member  found  connected  with  such  a 
society  shall  be  affectionately  admonished  twice  or  thrice  by  the 
preacher  in  charge,  and  if  such  member  does  not  desist  in  a  reason- 
able time  he  shall  be  notified  to  appear  before  the  tribunal  to  which 
he  is  amenable ;  and  if  he  still  refuses  to  desist  he  shall  be  expelled 
from  the  Church. 

The  motion  to  adopt  this  measure  into  the  Discipline 
led  to  a  long  and  almost  wholly  one-sided  discussion. 
The  members  earnestly  opposing  the  adoption  were  Jacob 
Bachtel  and  Jacob  Markwood.  Mr.  Markwood,  afterward 
bishop,  later  assumed  radical  grounds  against  secret  orders, 
while  Mr.  Resler,  who  here  spoke  and  voted  for  adoption, 
was   one   of   the   earliest   and    most   vigorous  among   the 


284  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

liberals.  The  ordinance  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  thirty- 
three  to  two,  Markwood  and  Bachtel  voting  nay.  Burtner 
and  Rhinehart  asked  to  be  excused  from  voting.  Thus 
the  General  Conference  entered  upon  the  more  severely 
restrictive  legislation  which  was  subsequently  followed  by 
so  strong  a  reaction. 

At  this  conference  David  Edwards  was  first  called  to 
the  episcopal  service,  the  work  to  which  the  remainder 
of  his  life  was  given.  Bishops  Glossbrenner  and  Erb 
were  reelected,  the  latter  after  having  been  out  of  the 
office  for  four  years.  Bishop  Hanby  was  again  returned 
to  the  Religious  Telescope;  David  Strickler  was  continued 
on  the  Frohliche  Botschafter,  and  Nehemiah  Altman,  who 
had  served  during  the  previous  term  under  appointment 
by  the  board  of  trustees,  was  elected  publishing  agent. 
Mr.  Altman  was  a  Jew  by  birth.  His  conversion  to  the 
Christian  faith  occurred  at  Lewisburg,  Ohio.  He  entered 
the  ministry  soon  after,  and  his  abilities,  united  with  energy 
and  vigilance,  soon  came  to  be  recognized.  After  his  con- 
nection with  the  Publishing  House  ceased,  he  removed  east, 
became  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Conference,  and  did 
efficient  service  as  a  pastor,  his  principal  work  being  done 
in  the  city  of  Baltimore. 

The  conference  remained  in  session  twelve  days. 

rV.      PERSONAL    NOTES. 

1.     J.  J.   Glossbrenner,  D.D. 

Among  the  bishops  elected  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1845  was  one  whose  name  must  ever  stand  as  one  of 
the  most  eminent  in  the  first  century  of  the  Church, 
that  of  Jacob  John  Glossbrenner.  Bishop  Glossbrenner 
was  born  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  on  July  24,  1812, 
and   was   of  German   descent.     His    parents    were   mem- 


Jacob  J.  Glossbrenner. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    285 

bers    of    the    Lutheran    Church,    and    the    baptism    and 
early  training  of  their  children  were   in  that  denomina- 
tion.    The   father   died   when   Jacob  was  in   his   seventh 
year,    and   the    mother   was    left   with    the   care   of    four 
children,  ranging  in  age  from  four  to  eleven.     The  sons, 
as  soon  as  they  were  old  enough,  were   put  to  learning 
trades,  Jacob  being  apprenticed  to  a  silversmith  and  watch- 
maker in  Hagerstown  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
He    was   converted    at   the   age   of    seventeen,   under    the 
preaching  of   William  R.   Rhinehart,  then   a  young  pre- 
siding elder  in  the    Hagerstown,  or  original.   Conference, 
and  joined   the    United    Brethren    Church.      He   was   ap- 
pointed soon  after  as  leader  for  a  class  of  young  persons, 
mostly  about  his  own  age,  and  in  this  work  he  devoted 
much  time  to  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  acquiring  thus 
early  that  habit  of  close  Scripture  study  which  character- 
ized all  his  life.     In  the  spring  of  1830,  at  a  camp-meeting 
in  Washington   County,   when   he   was  in  his    eighteenth 
year,  he  was  surprised  by  being  handed  a  license  to  exhort. 
The  license  was  signed  by  Eev.  George  A.  Guething,  son 
of  Rev.  George  A.  Guething,  the  friend  of  Otterbein.     Mr. 
Guething  told  him  he  might  also  preach  as  opportunity 
offered,  or  his  older  brethren  desired  him.     A  year  later, 
the   Virginia    Conference    having    then    been   formed   by 
division  of  the  original  conference,  he  attended  the  ses- 
sion of  that  body,  in  Shenandoah  County,  Virginia,  and 
became  one  of  its  members.     Thus  in  the  nineteenth  year 
of  his  age  began  the  ministerial  career  of  a  young  man 
who  was  destined  to  fill  so  illustrious  a  place  in  the  labors 
and  the  growth   of  the  Church   during  the  half  century 
which  followed,  a  career  which  was  not  to  be  interrupted 
for  a  single  year  until  the  Master  called  him  to  his  great 
reward.     After  three  years  of  service  as  a  circuit  preacher 
he  was  chosen,  then  in  his  twenty-second  year,  to  the  office 


286  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  presiding  elder,  which  position  he  filled  for  four  consecu- 
tive years.  From  the  beginning  he  gave  large  promise  of 
the  eminence  to  which  he  attained  as  a  preacher.  He  rose 
rapidly  in  success  and  acceptance  with  the  people.  In  1837 
he  was  elected  to  the  General  Conference,  and  again  in 
1841  and  1845.  He  was  thus  a  member  of  the  two 
General  Conferences  by  which  the  Constitution  of  the 
Church  was  formed.  When  chosen  to  the  office  of  bishop 
he  was  in  the  thirty-third  year  of  his  age.  Thus  his  more 
direct  labors  for  his  own  conference,  for  which  he  cherished 
to  the  end  of  his  life  the  tenderest  regard,  were  suddenly 
brought  to  a  close,  while  he  entered  upon  that  broader 
field  which  gave  his  service  to  the  entire  denomination. 
There  are  two  aspects  of  Bishop  Glossbrenner's  life  which 
have  in  a  special  sense  left  a  permanent  impression.  One 
of  these  relates  to  his  character  as  a  presiding  officer. 
Here  he  rose  to  a  height  but  rarely  attained.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  find,  either  in  ecclesiastical  or  civil  life,  a 
finer  development  of  the  qualities  requisite  to  the  head 
of  an  assembly  than  was  possessed  by  Bishop  Glossbrenner. 
In  presiding  over  conferences,  and  especially  the  General 
Conferences,  he  was  ever  on  the  alert,  so  that  nothing  ever 
escaped  his  attention.  He  possessed  a  calm  poise  and 
power  of  control  which  never  forsook  him,  and  in  the 
multiplication  of  motions,  of  every  class,  following  in 
quick  succession,  and  in  the  peculiar  intricacies  of  busi- 
ness which  sometimes  arise,  he  was  never  confused.  His 
rulings  on  parliamentary  questions  were  clear,  strong,  and 
just,  so  that  doubt  as  to  their  correctness  rarely  found 
expression.  In  the  discussion  of  issues  where  members 
were  sharply  divided  into  parties,  his  own  preferences  were 
never  manifested  while  he  sat  in  the  chair,  and  all  speakers 
were  treated  with  the  utmost  impartiality.  If  he  felt  that 
he  ought  to  express  his  sentiments  on  any  particular  issue, 


THE  GENERAL   CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    287 

he  did  so  after  the  vote  was  taken,  giving  the  conference 
the  benefit  of  his  judgment  and  counsel. 

The  second  aspect  in  which  Bishop  Glossbrenner  rose 
to  an  unusual  eminence  was  in  his  character  as  a  preacher. 
It  w^as  in  the  pulpit  that  his  extraordinary  powers  found 
their  freest  play.  His  sermons,  thoroughly  prepared  in 
all  their  details,  though  extemporaneously  delivered,  were 
models  of  compactness  and  strength.  Never  were  ser- 
mons preached  that  abounded  more  richly  in  appropriate 
Scripture  quotation,  or  conveyed  more  forcibly  the  great 
truths  of  the  inspired  Word.  Dr.  Drury,  in  his  "Life  of 
Bishop  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  D.D.,"  says:  "It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  he  was  recognized  by  persons  of  all 
degrees  of  culture  as  one  of  the  grandest  preachers  of  the 
gospel  that  our  land  has  produced.  Once  having  preached 
a  dedicatory  sermon,  a  number  of  ministers  of  other 
churches  being  present,  a  very  clerical  and  able  Epis- 
copal minister  became  so  excited  over  the  grand  scrip- 
tural sermon  of  Bishop  Glossbrenner  that  he  rushed  up 
to  the  pastor  of  the  United  Brethren  congregation,  saying : 
'  It  is  wonderful,  wonderful,  indeed  !  Never  has  there 
been  such  preaching  since  the  days  of  St.  Paul.  That 
man  ought  to  be  set  up  somewhere  as  a  model  for  all 
other  preachers  to  copy!'"^ 

In  his  private  and  social  life  Bishop  Glossbrenner 
possessed  qualities  that  made  him  ever  a  welcome  guest 
and  companion  in  the  homes  of  the  people  among  whom 
so  large  a  part  of  his  time  was  necessarily  spent.  Warm, 
genial,  kind,  sometimes  indulging  in  humor,  but  always 
discreet  and  eminently  Christian,  he  was  everywhere  re- 
ceived with  open  doors  and  open  hearts.  He  knew  wtII 
also  how  to  enter  into  the  afflictions  and  sorrows  of  others. 
A   lady   of    wide   experience   remarked   of  him   that   the 

'  Life  of  Glossbrenner,  p.  286. 


288  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

sweetest,  tenderest,  most  sympathetic  prayer  she  ever  heard 
uttered  in  the  sick-room  was  by  Bishop  Glossbrenner,  his 
great,  warm  heart  pouring  itself  out  in  fervent  supphca- 
tion  in  behalf  of  the  sick  one. 

On  the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  secret  organiza- 
tions he  was  properly  classed  with  the  liberals,  always 
doubting  the  wisdom  of  extreme  legislation,  but  supporting 
the  law  in  his  administration. 

During  the  period  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  Bishop 
Glossbrenner  was  prevented  from  attending  to  the  duties  of 
his  district.  Residing  within  the  lines  of  the  Confederate 
armies,  he  was  subjected  to  all  the  strict  necessities  laid  upon 
non-combatants.  He  might  have  come  north  during  the 
earlier  stages,  but  he  chose  to  remain — wisely,  as  the  event 
proved — with  the  Church  in  Virginia,  to  do  what  he  could 
to  prevent  the  flock  from  becoming  scattered.  His  prudent 
demeanor,  both  as  to  speech  and  acts,  enabled  him  to  do 
this,  and  thus  to  render  to  the  Church  during  those  stormy 
days  an  invaluable  service.  He  was  generally  believed 
by  the  Confederate  officers  to  be  in  sympathy  with  the 
Union  cause,  but  as  he  gave  no  direct  offense  he  was  left 
undisturbed,  and  was  even  sometimes  asked  to  preach  to 
the  Confederate  soldiers.  He  had  the  fullest  confidence 
and  respect  of  General  Stonewall  Jackson  and  other  leaders 
of  the  Confederate  armies.  Near  the  close  of  1863  he 
applied  to  the  Confederate  authorities  for  a  pass  to  come 
north,  to  visit  the  spring  session  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Conference,  as  also  the  northern  half  of  the  Virginia  Con- 
ference. A  pass  was  issued  to  him  by  Jefferson  Davis,  at 
the  request  of  Colonel  Baldwin,  then  in  the  Confederate 
Congress.  The  only  restriction  laid  upon  him  was  that 
he  should  reveal  nothing  as  to  the  strength  or  location 
of  the  Confederate  armies.  The  delays  he  met  prevented 
him  from  reaching  the  Pennsylvania  Conference  in  time  for 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    289 

its  session.  He  spent  a  while  among  friends  at  Chambers- 
burg  and  elsewliere,  and  tlien,  receiving  a  pass  from  Major- 
General  Couch,  commander  of  the  department  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna, he  returned  to  Virginia.  The  same  restrictions 
were  laid  upon  him  by  General  Couch  as  on  the  Confederate 
side  when  he  came  north.  Near  the  close  of  the  War,  in 
the  spring  of  1865,  Bishop  Glossbrenner  came  north  again 
to  attend  the  General  Conference  at  Western,  Iowa.  Pre- 
vious suspicions  that  he  had  been  disloyal  to  the  Union 
were  here  repeated  by  some,  and  the  bishop  declined  to  pre- 
side over  the  conference  until  his  loyalty  could  be  vindi- 
cated. He  was  invited  by  the  conference  to  make  a  personal 
statement  at  an  hour  named.  His  defense  of  his  course, 
and  his  deep  earnestness  and  manifest  sincerity,  taken  in 
connection  with  all  his  past  record  for  integrity  and  honor, 
completely  swept  the  conference.  A  strong  resolution  of 
confidence  and  approval  was  then  offered  by  a  member, 
and  was  carried  by  the  nearly  unanimous  vote  of  the 
conference,  only  two  members  being  found  to  dissent. 

A  long  period  of  service  was,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
allotted  to  Bishop  Glossbrenner.  He  lived  to  a  ripe  old 
age,  and  for  ten  quadrenniums,  or  fully  forty  years,  he 
was  in  the  active  superintendency.  They  were  years  of 
toilsome  labors,  of  extensive  travels,  of  great  efficiency,  and 
abounding  fruits.  But  old  age  came  at  last,  and  the  time 
when  the  laborer  must  rest.  The  General  Conference 
of  1885,  at  Fostoria,  Ohio,  on  account  of  his  failing 
strength,  did  not  think  it  wise  to  impose  on  him  further 
the  duties  of  an  active  bishop,  but,  unwilling  that  after 
so  long  and  honorable  a  career  he  should  die  out  of  the 
harness,  it  created  for  him  the  office  of  bishop  emeritus. 
He  was  then  elected  to  this  office  by  an  almost  unanimous 
vote,  only  two  members  dissenting. 

During  the  quadrennium  just  past  he  had  been  bereft 

19 


290  THE  VISITED  BBETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  his  faithful  wife,  who  for  more  than  fifty  years  had 
walked  by  his  side,  and  now  the  time  was  approaching 
when  he,  too,  should  pass  over  the  river.  His  growing 
infirmities  increased  upon  him,  and  toward  the  close  of 
the  year  1886  it  became  apparent  that  the  end  w^as  draw- 
ing near.  His  home  during  a  good  part  of  his  life  was 
at  Churchville,  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  and  here  after 
the  death  of  his  wife  he  lived  with  his  son-in-law.  Here 
he  was  visited  by  many  of  the  ministers  and  friends  from 
near  and  far.  Among  the  visits  which  he  most  appreciated 
was  that  of  his  long-time  friend,  Mr.  John  Dodds,  of 
Dayton,  Ohio,  who  made  the  trip  to  Virginia  expressly 
to  see  him  once  more.  To  him  he  said,  "If  I  could 
preach  again,  just  once  more,  I  would  preach  Jesus ;  I 
would  preach  from  his  words  to  the  disciples  on  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  *  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid.' "  Afterward  he  said, 
"My  title  is  clear,  not  because  I  have  preached  the  gospel, 
but  alone  through  the  love  and  mercy  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Dr.  Drury,  in  relating  this,  continues :  "After 
Mr.  Dodds  had  bidden  him  good-bye,  leaving  him  lying 
in  his  bed,  quiet,  but  deeply  aff'ected,  he  started  to  leave 
the  house.  The  family  also  stepped  outside.  Looking 
back,  they  saw  the  bishop  standing  near  the  door,  having 
gotten  out  of  bed  unassisted.  With  hand  uplifted  and 
streaming  eyes  he  said  :  *  Brother  Dodds,  tell  the  brethren 
it  is  all  right.     My  home  is  over  there.' " 

The  end  came  on  January  7,  1887,  when  he  calmly  fell 
asleep.  His  age  was  seventy-four  years,  five  months,  and 
thirteen  days.  For  fifty-six  years  he  had  been  a  minister, 
and  forty-two  years  a  bishop,  and  so  remarkably  was  health 
sustained  during  this  long  period  that  not  a  single  year 
was  lost  from  active  work.  His  remains  were  laid  to  rest 
on  January  11  in  the  cemetery  at  Churchville.  Bishop 
Weaver,  agreeably  to  the  request  of  Bishop  Glossbrenner, 


THE   GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    291 

preached  the  funeral  sermon,  paying  a  tender  and  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  his  departed  associate. 

It  is  more  than  an  ordinary  delight  to  linger  over  this 
grand  and  beautiful  life,  but  the  necessary  limitations  of 
this  sketch  forbid  further  extension.  The  reader  is  referred 
to  the  admirable  Life  of  Bishop  Glossbrenner,  by  Prof. 
A.  W.  Drury,  D.D. 

2,     John  Russel. 

Another  strong  man   elected  by  this  conference  to  the 
office  of  bishop,  a  typical  pioneer  of  the  early  days,  was 
John  Eussel  (in  the  original  German,  Roszel).     Mr.  Russel 
was  born  on  March   18,   1799,  at  Pipe  Creek,   Maryland, 
one  of  the  places  near  Baltimore  which  Bishop  Otterbein 
often  visited,   and  where  his   grandfather,  an   immigrant 
from  Germany,  was  converted  under  Otterbein's  preaching. 
His  parents  were  devout  in  their  religious  life,  and  he  was 
brought  up  under  the  most  careful  instruction.     He  was 
converted   at  an    early  age,   and  soon  was   found,   at  the 
request  of   his  brethren,  leading  meetings,  and  delivering 
earnest  spiritual  exhortations,  though  without  any  thought 
of  the  future  work   which   awaited  him.     When  he  was 
approaching   young   manhood,   he   was   apprenticed   to    a 
blacksmith,  learned  the  smith's  trade,  and  was  afterward 
provided  by  his  father  with  a  set  of  tools  to  carry  on  the 
business.     It  was  not  long,  however,  until  he  realized  that 
the    Lord    had    other   work    for   him.      With    his    father's 
consent  the  forge  and  hammer  were  abandoned,  and   he 
started    for   a   conference   which    was    held   in    Lancaster 
County,  Pennsylvania.     Here   he  was  licensed   to   preach, 
Bishop  Newcomer  signing  his  credentials.     All  the   East 
being  still  included  in  one  conference  district,  the  bishop 
took  him  with  him  to  Virginia,  where  he  started  him  on 
a   circuit.     He  was  then  in  his  nineteenth  year,  with  but 


292  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

limited  education  and  experience,  but  with  his  heart  aflame 
with  the  great  theme  which  he  brought  to  the  people.  His 
second  year  was  in  Pennsylvania,  his  circuit  again  being 
large,  and  appointments  often  difficult  to  reach.  When 
his  horse  broke  down,  he  was  nothing  daunted,  but  con- 
tinued his  long  journeys  on  foot.  The  third  year,  being 
then  twenty  years  of  age,  he  responded  to  the  calls  for 
ministers  from  what  was  then  still  thought  of  as  the  "far 
west,"  and  came  to  Ohio.  He  joined  the  Miami  Confer- 
ence, and  was  appointed  to  his  first  charge  in  the  district 
which  afterward  became  the  Scioto  Conference.  Here  he 
toiled  industriously  as  a  circuit  preacher  and  presiding 
elder,  after  the  true  pioneer  manner,  until  he  was  called 
east  to  become  pastor  of  the  Otterbein  Church.  He 
preached  with  equal  facility  in  the  German  and  English 
languages,  frequently  repeating  a  sermon  in  German  if  it 
was  first  preached  in  English,  or  in  English  if  it  was  first 
in  German.  Often  he  read  a  text  first  in  one  language 
and  then  in  the  other,  and  next  announced  the  divisions 
of  his  sermon  in  both,  then  following  with  one  division  in 
both  languages,  and  so  on  alternately  to  the  end. 

Mr.  Russel  was  twice  elected  to  the  general  superin- 
tendency  of  the  Church.  He  was  first  a  delegate  to  the 
General  Conference  of  1833,  then  of  1841,  taking  part  in 
the  framing  of  the  Constitution  of  the  Church.  He  was 
again  a  member  in  1845,  and  by  that  conference  was 
elected  bishop.  Retiring  from  the  office  after  one  term 
of  four  years,  he  was  again  chosen  in  1857,  this  time  to 
superintend  especially  the  German  work.  He  again  served 
one  term. 

In  person  Bishop  Russel  was  tall,  straight,  strongly 
built,  and  of  dark  complexion.  He  wore  his  hair  combed 
straight  back  over  his  high,  arching  brow,  letting  it  fall 
well  down  toward  his  shoulders.     His  carriage,  manner  of 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    293 

address,  and  general  bearing  all  indicated  a  man  much 
above  the  average — a  man,  indeed,  born  to  rule.  He  was 
firm  in  his  convictions,  did  not  easily  let  go  a  principle 
he  once  fully  espoused,  and  yet  was  open  to  the  light  of 
advanced  ideas. 

Mr.  Russel  was  among  the  first  to  see  the  necessity  for 
a  publishing  house  for  the  Church,  was  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  trustees  appointed  to  originate  it,  and  so 
sincerely  did  he  give  himself  to  its  support  that  he  sold 
his  property  to  obtain  money  to  get  the  enterprise  started, 
loaning  to  it  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  on  long  time  and 
at  low  interest.  In  1840  he  began  to  publish,  in  Balti- 
more, a  German  monthly  periodical  called  Die  Geschliftige 
Martha,  which,  in  1841,  was  merged  into  the  official 
German  paper  established  by  the  General  Conference. 
To  the  cause  of  education  he  w^as  for  many  years  less 
friendly,  fearing  that  colleges,  if  built  by  the  Church, 
would  become  what  were  then  frequently  called  "preacher 
factories."  It  is  related  that  a  former  president  of  Leb- 
anon Valley  College,  with  the  view  of  enlisting  the 
Germans  of  eastern  Pennsylvania  in  the  support  of 
the  college,  invited  Bishop  Russel  to  visit  the  institution 
and  preach  a  sermon.  In  due  time  the  bishop  came, 
and  preached  a  sermon  from  the  words,  "Das  Wissen 
bliiset  auf"  ("Knowledge  puffeth  up").  The  sermon  was 
so  effective  in  the  opposite  direction  from  what  the  pres- 
ident expected  that  in  speaking  of  it  he  remarked  that  he 
would  try  in  the  future  to  manage  the  Germans  without  the 
bishop's  help.  On  this  subject,  however,  he  materially 
relented  toward  the  close  of  his  life,  so  that  he  gave  the 
sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  Pennsylvania  and  East 
Pennsylvania  conferences  for  the  purpose  of  educating  theo- 
logically the  ministerial  candidates  in  the  conferences.  The 
gift,  however,  was  hampered  with  such  conditions  as  to  make 


294  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

their  fulfillment  difficult.  On  another  subject,  like  many 
others  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  Church,  he  changed  his 
attitude.  In  the  General  Conference  of  1841  he  assisted  in 
putting  into  the  Constitution  the  clause  against  connection 
with  secret  orders.  He  was  present  at  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1869,  an  interested  listener  to  the  discussion  of  two 
and  a  half  days,  after  which  he  said  to  a  friend  that  "he 
could  live  very  happily  and  contentedly  in  the  Church  if 
the  conference  should  adopt  the  proposition  of  the  liberals."  ^ 
Had  he  lived  to  the  time  of  the  recent  conflicts,  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  his  position  would  have  been  found  with 
Glossbrenner,  Weaver,  Dickson,  and  Castle,  all  of  whom  at 
one  time  supported  the  restrictive  legislation  of  the  Church. 

During  the  later  years  of  his  life  his  home  was  with 
his  son-in-law,  a  Mr.  Guething,  near  Keedysville,  and  only 
a  short  distance  from  the  great  battlefield  of  Antietam. 
His  house  was  taken  for  a  Confederate  hospital,  and  filled 
with  sick  and  w^ounded  soldiers.  Bishop  Russel  remained, 
giving  to  the  unfortunate  men  all  the  help  he  could.  Age 
at  last  began  to  tell  upon  his  strong  frame,  and  the  time 
came  when  he  was  to  pass  into  the  beyond  to  join  the 
company  of  the  immortals.  His  death  occurred  on  Decem- 
ber 21,  1870,  he  being  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his 
age.  Bishop  Dickson  preached  an  appropriate  sermon  on 
the  funeral  occasion. 

Bishop  Russel  will  long  be  remembered  as  a  man  of 
strong  personality,  of  cheerful  disposition,  of  ready  wit, 
often  indulging  in  practical  jokes,  as  devoted  to  the 
Church,  enduring  in  the  fullest  measure  the  privations 
and  hardships  of  an  early  itinerant's  life,  and  as  one  of 
the  real  builders  in  some  of  her  interests,  while  honestly 
averse  to  others,  and  his  name  will  remain  as  worthy  of  a 
high  place  on  the  roll  of  the  eminent  men  of  the  past. 

1  Phmeer  Address  of  Prof.  H.  Garst,  D.D.,  at  Miami  Conference  session,  1896. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    295 

S.      William  Hanhy. 

The  third  bishop  elected  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1845  was  Rev.  William  Hanby.  Mr.  Hanby  was  born 
in  Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  April  8,  1808. 
His  childhood  life  was  passed  in  poverty.  When  yet  quite 
young  he  found  a  good  home  in  the  family  of  a  farmer 
of  the  Society  of  Friends,  where  he  remained  until  the 
age  of  seventeen,  when  he  desired  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
saddler,  and  was  apprenticed  to  a  man  named  Good.  His 
master  proved  himself  quite  the  reverse  of  what  his  name 
suggested,  and  young  Hanby  found  his  condition  one  of 
absolute  slavery.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  came  to  Ohio, 
finding  employment  at  the  town  of  Somerset.  At  twenty- 
two  he  was  converted,  and  soon  after  felt  the  divine  impulse 
summoning  him  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  In  1831, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
joined  the  Scioto  Conference.  His  first  charge,  like  many 
of  that  day,  had  nearly  thirty  appointments,  and  required 
four  weeks  to  make  the  round,  with  an  average  of  about 
one  sermon  a  day.  For  his  first  year's  service,  with  a 
wife  to  provide  for,  he  received  the  sum  of  thirty-five 
dollars.  But  he  had  other  and  richer  emoluments,  for 
under  his  preaching  there  were  converted  and  added  to 
the  Church  that  year  about  one  hundred  souls.  In  those 
days  the  prayer  was  often  heard  for  ministers  that  they 
"might  have  souls  for  their  hire."  Very  frequently  it 
was  almost  their  only  compensation,  but  it  was  a  reward 
which  many  having  larger  salaries  might  well  covet.  In 
1834,  the  second  year  of  his  itinerant  life,  he  was  elected 
presiding  elder,  and  in  1837  he  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  General  Conference,  which  convened  at  Germantown, 
Ohio,  where  he  was  elected  general  agent  and  treasurer 
of  the  newly  organized  Publishing  House  at  Circleville. 
In  1839  he  was  elected  editor  of  the  Religious   Telescope, 


296  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

its  first  editor,  Rev.  William  R.  Rhinehart,  having  resigned. 
In  1845  he  was  elected  bishop.  He  served  in  this  office 
four  years,  when  he  was  again  elected  editor  of  the 
Religious  Telescope,  with  duties  of  publisher  added.  In 
1853  his  more  public  connection  with  church  service 
ended,  but  he  served  for  many  years  on  some  of  its 
boards,  as  a  trustee  of  Otterbein  University  and  also  of 
the  Publishing  House. 

Of  the  large  family  of  Mr.  Hanby,  two,  a  son  and  a 
daughter,  became  widely  know^n  ;  the  first,  the  Rev.  Ben- 
jamin R.  Hanby,  to  the  musical  world,  through  his  popular 
songs,  chiefly  among  them  ''Darling  Nelly  Gray,"  which 
joined  a  powerful  influence  to  that  of  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  in  forming  that  tide  of  anti- 
slavery  sentiment  which  was  finally  to  sweep  the  dark 
curse  from  our  land;^  the  other,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Billheimer, 
who  with  her  husband  accomplished  valuable  pioneer 
missionary  work  in  Africa,  and  has  since  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  Woman's  Missionary  Board. 

Mr.  Hanby  died  at  his  home  in  Westerville,  Ohio,  on 
May  17,  1880,  being  a  little  past  seventy-two  years  of  age. 
In  his  closing  days  he  gave  numerous  expressions  showing 
that  his  trust  was  unshaken  in  the  near  presence  of  death. 
The  last  words  he  was  heard  to  utter  were,  "I  am  in  the 
midst  of  glory."  An  incident  of  thrilling  interest  which 
occurred  not  many  days  before  his  death  was  recalled  at 

1  It  is  of  peculiar  interest  to  note  that  an  expurgated  edition  of  tlais 
popular  song  was  prepared  by  the  publishers  for  circulation  in  the  South,  those 
features  which  might  offend  Southern  feeling  being  carefully  eliminated.  The 
song  had  an  immense  sale,  equaled,  it  was  said,  by  only  one  other  song  ever 
published.  It  could  be  heard  sung  in  almost  every  home  in  the  North,  and 
widely  in  its  altered  form  throughout  the  South.  Both  the  words  and  the 
music  were  Mr.  Hanby's  production.  Mr.  Hanby  was  a  graduate  of  Otterbein 
University,  and  a  preacher  for  a  few  years  of  brilliant  promise,  when  failing 
health  and  death  ended  his  career.  This  reference  to  his  song  is  justified  by 
the  fact  of  its  large  influence,  through  its  tender  and  pathetic  power,  in  mold- 
ing the  sentiment  of  the  people  of  the  North  on  the  character  of  slavery  as  an 
institution  in  our  national  life. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    297 

his  funeral  by  Rev.  J.  S.  Mills,  now  Bishop  Mills,  then 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Westerville.  Joseph  Cook  had 
been  brought  to  the  university  to  deliver  a  lecture,  and 
hearing  of  Mr.  Hanby's  spiritual  condition,  and  that  earlier 
in  his  life  he  had  frequently  aided  slaves  fleeing  for  their 
freedom,  desired  to  call  upon  him.  The  visit  was  made 
in  company  with  Mr.  Mills  and  President  Thompson,  of 
the  university.  Mr.  Mills  says  of  the  interview :  Mr. 
Cook  "listened  with  marked  interest  to  the  words  spoken 
by  the  suffering  man.  He  spoke  of  his  sympathy  with 
Mr.  Cook's  work  in  the  field  of  Christian  science  [using 
the  term  in  its  higher  sense],  and  expressed  his  happiness 
at  being  permitted  to  see  him  ;  at  the  close  of  which  Mr. 
Cook  said,  'I  have  come  for  your  blessing,'  and  taking 
in  his  hands  both  the  hands  of  the  bishop,  he  reverently 
bowed  his  head  while  Mr.  Hanby  gave  to  him  the  earnest 
benediction,  'May  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  God  be  upon 
you  and  upon  your  work.'  Mr.  Cook  responded,  'And  may 
we  meet  in  the  city  that  hath  foundations.'  Mr.  Hanby 
finished  the  quotation,  'Whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.* 
To  which  the  great  scholar  replied,  'Even  so  may  it  be.' 
Every  one  was  thrilled  as  this  Spirit-prompted  ritual  was 
uttered,  and  in  perfect  silence,  which  no  one  dared  to  break, 
the  visitors  passed  solemnly  out."^ 

A  most  important  service  was  rendered  to  the  Church 
by  Mr.  Hanby  in  the  preparation  of  its  history  from  about 
the  year  1825,  where  its  first  historian,  Mr.  Spayth,  left 
it  off,  down  to  the  year  1850.  It  is  in  greatly  condensed 
form,  but  has  served  a  valuable  end.  Mr.  Hanby  was 
personally  cognizant  of  much  of  what  he  wrote,  and 
other  materials  were  gathered  from  events  of  recent  date. 
The  book  was  published  in  1851,  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Spayth's  history. 

>  Thompson's  Our  Bishops,  p.  359. 


298  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

If..     David  Edwards,  D.D. 

Among  the  strongest  figures  that  look  down  to  us  out 
of  the  past,  is  that  of  Bishop  David  Edwards.  It  is  just  a 
little  over  twenty  years  since  he  was  called  to  his  reward, 
but  he  is  remembered  with  a  distinctness  as  of  yesterday. 
In  height  a  little  above  medium,  firmly  built,  with  shoul- 
ders sloping  upward  toward  a  strongly  outlined  and  well- 
covered  head,  and  with  an  earnest  face  and  deeply-set, 
searching  eyes,  his  picture  is  sharply  photographed  on 
the  memory.  In  the  pulpit  he  was  a  man  of  might, 
preaching  sermons  wdth  a  clear  ring,  penetrating  often 
with  keenest  search  the  hidden  things  of  the  heart,  making 
men  fear  and  tremble  as  under  the  very  eye  of  God,  at 
other  times  portraying  the  rich  things  of  the  gospel  in 
such  glowing  colors  that  the  sermon  seemed  like  a 
triumphal  march. 

Bishop  Edwards  was  of  Welsh  birth,  his  early  home 
being  amid  the  mountains  of  north  Wales.  He  was 
born  on  May  5,  181G,  of  an  ancestry  which  preserved 
almost  unchanged  through  centuries  their  strong  race 
characteristics.  From  this  ancestry  and  from  the  rug- 
ged hills  among  which  his  early  childhood  years  were 
spent  he  doubtless  derived  in  large  part  those  sturdy 
qualities  which  so  strongly  marked  his  life.  In  1821  his 
parents,  with  the  family  of  children,  came  to  America, 
remaining  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  for  two  years,  after 
which,  in  1823,  they  removed  to  Delaware,  Ohio.  They 
were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  father 
dying  in  1825,  David,  three  years  later,  when  he  was 
twelve  years  old,  entered  a  woolen  factory,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  carding  and  cloth  dressing.  At  seventeen  he 
left  home,  with  the  benedictions  of  his  pious  mother,  to 
find  more  remunerative  employment  in  mills  near  Lan- 
caster, Ohio.      Here,  a  year  subsequently,   he  attended  a 


David  Edwards. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    299 

protracted  meeting  held  by  the  United  Brethren,  and  was 
soon  after  converted.  His  religious  life  at  once  came  to 
be  marked  with  such  sincerity  and  earnestness  that  those 
about  him  saw  evidences  of  a  divine  call  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry.  He  was  not  himself  a  stranger  to  this 
thought,  for  the  same  feeling  had  been  with  him  quite 
early  in  his  life.  He  tells  us  that  at  the  age  of  seven  he 
was  impressed  that  he  would  be  called  to  be  a  minister, 
and  that  from  that  time  on  he  sought  the  Lord  in  secret 
and  led  a  moral  life.  In  the  Sunday  school  and  under 
preaching  he  often  wept  and  poured  out  his  heart  in 
prayer.  Thus  from  his  childhood  the  oil  of  the  divine 
consecration  was  upon  him. 

On  May  23, 1835,  just  about  a  year  after  his  conversion, 
and  when  he  was  but  a  few  days  past  nineteen  years  of 
age,  he  received  quarterly-conference  license  to  preach, 
and  soon  after  entered  regularly  the  itinerant  work,  at 
first  as  an  associate  with  Rev.  M.  Ambrose,  who  was  his 
pastor  when  his  license  was  given.  His  first  regular  circuit 
had  twenty-eight  appointments,  and  required  four  weeks 
and  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles  of  travel  for  one  round. 
His  membership  throughout  his  life  was  in  the  Scioto 
Conference. 

Few  men  probably  have  entered  upon  a  ministerial 
career  with  greater  misgivings  as  to  their  personal  fitness 
for  the  work.  An  exceedingly  sensitive  nature  brought 
him  frequently  into  the  deepest  discouragement  over  what 
he  felt  to  be  failures  in  the  pulpit.  And  yet  great  success 
attended  his  ministry.  On  every  charge  he  served,  his 
earnest  preaching  wrought  conviction,  and  large  numbers 
were  added  to  the  Church.  At  Circleville,  where  he  be- 
came pastor  in  1844,  the  phenomenal  increase  in  mem- 
bership from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  seven 
hundred   and  sixteen   within  a  single  year  was  reported. 


300  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

In  1845  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  presiding  elder,  and 
the  General  Conference  which  convened  soon  after,  in  May, 
1845,  most  unexpectedly  to  himself,  elected  him  editor 
of  the  Religious  Telescope.  Writing  was  never  an  easy 
task  or  a  pleasurable  employment  to  Bishop  Edwards. 
Throughout  his  life  he  wrote  only  when  a  sense  of 
duty  impelled  him.  When  he  accepted  the  duty  laid 
upon  him  by  his  brethren,  that  of  editing  the  Religious 
Telescope,  he  took  up  what  he  felt  to  be  an  irksome  task. 
But  he  undertook  the  work  with  the  same  profound 
sense  of  direct  responsibility  to  God  with  which  he 
preached  the  gospel.  In  his  choice  of  subjects  and  in  his 
manner  of  treating  them,  this  feeling  was  ever  present. 
His  range  of  leading  subjects  may  be  regarded  as  some- 
what circumscribed.  The  one  subject  to  which  he  gave 
more  thought  and  more  discussion  than  to  any  other 
was  that  of  personal  holiness.  Dr.  L.  Davis,  his  biog- 
rapher, says : 

"The  great  subject  on  which  the  mind  and  heart  of 
Mr.  Edwards  were  employed  more  than  any  other, — indeed 
more  than  all  others, — .  .  .  was  holiness  of  heart  and  life. 
This  was  his  central  thought  on  all  questions  of  church 
life  and  spirit.  In  this  field,  at  least,  he  was  at  home. 
And  no  wonder,  for  it  was  with  him  a  rich  experience.  He 
made  the  Telescope  ring  with  this  subject  as  it  never  did 
before  nor  has  since.  It  inspired  his  best  editorials,  and 
governed  very  largely  the  selections  made.  The  procla- 
mation of  the  subject  in  his  first  editorial  became  the  key- 
note for  correspondents  throughout  the  entire  term.  In 
a  word,  everything  was  made  to  bend  to  this  one  all- 
absorbing  theme.  No  mind  was  ever  more  indefatigably 
employed,  no  heart  ever  more  fully  poured  out,  in  con- 
nection with  the  definition  and  advocacy  of  this  doctrine 
than  were  the  mind  and  heart  of  David  Edwards."     To 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1845  AND  1849    301 

this  delineation  Dr.  Davis  adds  the  discriminating  remark, 
"It  is  doubtful  if  the  particular  doctrine  of  entire  sancti- 
fication  has  ever  been  stated  more  clearly,  more  profoundly, 
and  in  a  way  less  liable  to  objection,  than  as  stated  by 
him."i 

The  sustained  and  earnest  treatment  of  this  subject  in 
the  editorials  of  the  Religious  Telescope  by  Bishop  Edwards, 
during  the  four  years  of  his  editorship,  had  a  very  marked 
influence  upon  the  thought  of  the  Church.  Other  writers 
for  the  columns  of  the  paper  gave  this  subject  special 
prominence,  and  many  of  the  ministers  throughout  the 
denomination  pressed  it  earnestly  upon  the  attention  of 
the  people.  As  a  result  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church 
was  greatly  quickened,  both  in  the  pulpit  and  the  pews, 
and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  was  a  depth  of  religious 
experience  attained  such  as  is  not  always  witnessed  in 
meetings  held  for  the  special  promotion  of  holiness. 

The  General  Conference  of  1849  reelected  Mr.  Edwards 
to  the  ofiice  of  editor.  But  he  had  wearied  with  the  duties 
of  writing,  and  promptly  declined,  preferring  to  devote 
himself  entirely  to  the  ministry  of  the  word.  Bishop 
Hanby,  who  had  preceded  him  as  editor,  and  had  served 
four  years  as  bishop,  was  then  elected  in  his  stead,  and 
Mr.  Edwards  was  immediately  elected  to  the  office  of 
bishop.  In  this  office  he  served  with  unremitting  toil 
until  his  labors  ceased  at  the  call  of  the  Master. 

Bishop  Edwards  was  a  man  of  strong  prejudices,  believ- 
ing intensely  in  whatever  he  espoused,  yet  open  also  to 
conviction  to  opposite  views.  The  secret-society  question 
loomed  into  great  prominence  during  the  last  twenty-five 
years  of  his  life,  and  he  was  found  on  the  radical  side. 
He  was  not,  however,  so  unreasoning  and  unrelenting  as 
were  some,  and  was  disposed,  when  the  evils  of  excessive 

»  Life  of  Bishop  David  Edwards,  D.D.,  by  Lewis  Davis,  D.D.,  pp.  78,  79. 


302  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

legislation  became  so  apparent,  to  favor  a  more  lenient 
policy.  He  died  before  the  crises  of  1885  and  1889  came. 
Had  he  lived  to  that  time,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  with  Bishop  Dickson,  and  many  others  of  the  best 
men  among  us,  his  loyalty  to  the  Church  he  had  so  long 
and  earnestly  toiled  to  build  up  would  have  risen  above 
devotion  to  any  one  principle  of  polity. 

Bishop  Edwards  spent  nearly  the  whole  of  his  life  in 
what  was  then  called  the  West.  He  presided  over  the 
Ohio  District,  and  over  the  districts  east  and  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  His  last  appointment  was  to  the  East 
District,  which  fixed  his  residence  during  his  closing  years 
in  Baltimore.  He  served  twenty-seven  years  in  the  office 
of  bishop,  the  last  three  on  the  East  District,  and  forty-one 
years  in  the  ministry.  He  retained  his  great  power  in 
the  pulpit  as  long  as  his  physical  strength  remained.  He 
was  smitten  down  in  the  ripe  maturity  of  his  great  powers, 
his  age  being  sixty  years,  one  month,  and  one  day.  His 
death  occurred  in  the  bishop's  parsonage  at  Baltimore,  on 
June  6,  1876.  His  remains  were  brought  to  Dayton  for 
interment,  and  after  appropriate  services  were  laid  to  rest 
in  the  beautiful  Woodland  Cemetery. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861 
I.       THE  HOME,  FRONTIER,  AND  FOREIGN  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY. 

The  period  extending  from  1853  to  1861  was  ushered 
in  by  two  important  events.  The  first  of  these  was  the 
organization  of  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society.  So  far-reaching  have  been  the  results 
of  this  step  that  it  may  be  regarded  as  marking  an  epoch 
in  the  progressive  development  of  the  Church.  The  pre- 
vious board,  organized  at  an  earlier  session  of  the  General 
Conference,  had  never  adopted  any  aggressive  measures  in 
extending  the  missionary  work,  and  the  planting  of  the 
Church  in  new  fields  was  chiefly  left  to  the  local  societies 
in  the  annual  conferences,  or  to  such  providential  methods 
as  might  arise  in  connection  with  the  removal  of  United 
Brethren  ministers  or  families  to  newer  portions  of  the 
country. 

The  foremost  among  the  annual  conferences  in  perfect- 
ing its  plans  was  the  Sandusky,  and  foremost  among  the 
members  of  that  conference  in  gaining  a  broad  perception 
of  the  needs  of  the  work  and  of  the  methods  to  be  em- 
ployed w^as  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Bright.  Mr.  Bright  was  a 
member  of  the  General  Conference  which  met  at  Milton- 
ville,  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  on  May  9,  1853.  He  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  bringing  into  more  thorough  organiza- 
tion the  missionary  work  of  the  Church,  by  forming  a 
strong  central  board,  with  officers  actively  employed  in 
its  service,  and  committing  to  this  board  the  prosecution 


304  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  general  oversight  of  the  work.  His  plan  embraced 
the  home  and  frontier  fields,  and  the  foreign  also,  as  soon 
as  a  foreign  mission  should  be  projected.  He  proposed 
that  all  existing  local  or  conference  missionary  organiza- 
tions should  become  tributary  to  the  central  board,  and 
that  in  every  conference  where  such  organizations  did 
not  already  exist  auxiliary  or  branch  societies  should 
be  formed.  Thus  the  plan  was  intended  to  bring,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  entire  Church  into  active  cooperation  with 
the  general  missionary  society.  Mr.  Bright  laid  before  the 
conference  a  constitution  which  provided  for  the  organi- 
zation and  government  of  the  proposed  society,  which, 
upon  full  consideration,  with  such  amendments  as  met 
with  favor,  was  adopted.  The  constitution  thus  adopted 
has  remained  substantially  the  same  to  the  present  time 
and  the  society  organized  under  it  has  proved  one  of  the 
most  efficient  of  the  various  departments  of  the  w^ork 
of  the  Church.  For  a  larger  view  of  the  society  and  the 
work  it  has  accomplished,  the  reader  is  referred  to  another 
part  of  this  volume.  For  a  copy  of  the  constitution  see 
Book  of  Discipline. 

II.       THE    REMOVAL    OF    THE    PUBLISHING    HOUSE. 

Another  measure  which  contributed  to  making  the 
General  Conference  of  1853  a  memorable  one  related  to 
the  Publishing  House  of  the  Church.  The  reader  will 
remember  that  at  its  organization  it  was  located  in  the 
thrifty,  but  small,  town  of  Circleville,  Ohio.  It  was  here 
situated  in  the  midst  of  its  friends — strong  men,  who  cared 
for  it  nobly  in  the  days  of  its  infancy.  In  1849  an  effort 
had  been  made  to  remove  it  to  Cincinnati,  but  was  unsuc- 
cessful. But  the  time  had  come  when  more  advantageous 
business  facilities  were  needed  for  the  better  enlargement 
of  its  work,  and  the  conference,  after  mature  deliberation. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861         305 

decided  upon  its  removal  to  the  city  of  Dayton.  This 
order,  and  the  removal  which  followed  immediately  after, 
occasioned  for  a  time  great  disappointment  to  the  friends 
of  the  House  at  Circleville,  but  the  wisdom  of  the  confer- 
ence in  ordering  this  change  of  location  has  been  abun- 
dantly demonstrated. 

III.       LAY    KEPRESENTATION. 

Among  other  subjects  which  awakened  earnest  discussion 
during  the  successive  conference  sessions,  was  that  of  ad- 
mitting the  laity  to  a  part  with  the  ministry  in  the 
counsels  of  the  annual  conferences.  Their  admission  to 
seats  in  the  General  Conference  was  at  that  time  less 
thought  about,  since  there  was  a  constitutional  bar  which 
precluded  such  a  privilege.  "All  ecclesiastical  power 
herein  granted,  to  make  or  repeal  any  rule  of  discipline, 
is  vested  in  a  General  Conference,  which  shall  consist  of 
elders,  elected  by  the  members  in  every  conference  district 
throughout  the  society."  So  said  the  Constitution  of  1841, 
and  the  provision  could  not  be  changed  except  by  the 
vote  of  the  entire  Church.  But  there  was  no  obstacle  to 
the  admission  of  laymen  to  seats  in  the  annual  conferences, 
except  the  will  of  the  General  Conference.  It  is  not  to  be 
forgotten,  however,  that  while  there  were  some,  both  in 
the  ministry  and  in  the  laity,  who  foresaw  the  important 
advantages  to  be  gained  by  the  introduction  of  lay  repre- 
sentation as  a  feature  of  our  church  polity,  there  was  not 
at  that  time  any  wide-spread  desire  among  the  laymen  for 
such  representation.  While  some  laymen  asked  for  it,  and 
sought  in  every  proper  way  to  awaken  interest  in  the 
subject,  the  great  body  of  the  Church  was  indifferent  in 
regard  to  it.  A  single  memorial  only  came  to  the  General 
Conference  of  1853,  and  but  few  to  the  sessions  of  1857 
and     1861.      These    memorials    were    properly    referred, 

20 


306  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  the  subject  was  afterward  courteously  dealt  with 
on  the  conference  floor.  Earnest  advocates  stood  up  for 
the  principle,  but  the  votes  showed  that  the  ministers 
composing  the  successive  conferences  were  overwhelmingly 
opposed.  The  belief  prevailed,  and  found  expression,  that 
all  ecclesiastical  power  and  administration  were  properly 
committed  to  the  ministry.  Few  of  those  who  then 
opposed  could  foresee  how  within  their  own  time  sentiment 
would  so  far  undergo  change  that  lay  delegates  would 
sit  in  our  annual  and  General  conferences. 

IV.       TOTAL    DEPRAVITY. 

The  subject  of  total  depravity,  of  which  so  little  is  now 
heard,  was  about  this  time  a  live  question  in  the  Church. 
Much  was  written  upon  it  for  the  columns  of  the  Religious 
Telescope,  and  in  the  General  Conference  its  discussion 
excited  the  deepest  interest.  It  was  considered  important 
that  the  applicants  for  license  to  preach  should  declare 
clearly  their  belief  in  the  doctrine,  and  the  subject  was 
given  a  place  among  the  questions  which  applicants  were 
required  to  answer.  A  committee  to  whom  the  subject 
was  referred  reported  the  following  as  the  form  of  question  : 

Do  you  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  natural,  hereditary,  and  total 
depravity,  as  held  by  the  Church? 

This  was  in  the  conference  of  1853.  A  long  and 
animated  discussion  followed,  with  no  prospect,  for  a  long 
time,  of  coming  to  an  agreement.  The  solution  was  finally 
reached  by  an  explanatory  amendment,  offered  by  Bishop 
Glossbrenner,  as  follows : 

1.  By  "depravity"  is  meant,  not  guilt,  or  liability-  to  punish- 
ment, but  the  absence  of  holiness;  which  therefore  unfits  man  for 
heaven. 

2.  By  "natural"  is  meant  that  man  is  born  with  this  absence 
of  holiness. 


THE  GENERAL   CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861         307 

3.  By  "hereditary"  is  meaut  that  this  unholy  state  is  inher- 
ited from  Adam. 

4.  By  "total"  is  not  meant  that  a  man  or  child  cannot  be- 
come more  unholy,  or  that  he  is  irrecoverably  unholy,  nor  that 
he  is  a  mass  of  corruption,  but  that  this  absence  of  holiness  must 
be  predicated  of  all  the  faculties  and  powers  of  the  soul. 

This  definition  of  the  theological  bearings  of  the  subject 
proved  generally  satisfactory,  and  the  amendment  was 
adopted.  The  word  "complete"  was  then  substituted  for 
the  word  "total,"  and  the  report  as  proposed  was  adopted. 
This,  however,  was  not  the  end  of  the  controversy,  and 
the  subject  was  destined  to  come  up  again.  Discussion 
continued  in  the  columns  of  tlic  Religious  Telescope,  and 
when  the  General  Conference  of  1857  assembled  in  Cin- 
cinnati it  was  expected  that  the  interest  of  the  session 
would  largely  be  concentrated  upon  this  question.  An 
editorial  appeared  in  the  Religious  Telescope  referring  to 
the  manner  in  which  it  was  disposed  of: 

"On  Friday  [the  day  before  the  report  was  presented] 
it  was  well  known  that  the  committee  on  revision  would 
reach  the  much-agitated  and  very  perplexing  depravity 
question.  There  were  some  indications  that  a  tedious, 
severe,  and  long-protracted,  if  not  acrimonious  and  -un- 
brotherly,  struggle  would  ensue.  Contrary,  however,  to 
general  expectation,  the  committee,  which  consists  of  one 
member  from  eacli  annual  conference,  came  to  a  perfect 
agreement,  and  luid  prepared  a  report  which  was  this 
morning  presented  to  the  conference." 

The  report  of  the  committee  })rovided  that  the  question 
to  applicants  for  license  to  preach,  with  the  appended 
explanatory  note,  as  adopted  four  years  previously,  be 
expunged  from  the  Discipline,  and  that  the  following  be 
inserted  in  its  stead  : 

Do  you  believe  that  man,  abstract  of  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  is  fallen  from  original  righteousness,  and  is  not  only  entirely 


308  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

destitute  of  holiness,  but  is  inclined  to  evil,  and  only  evil,  and  that 
continually ;  and  that  except  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God  ? 

This  report  was  adopted  by  the  conference  with  but  a 
single  dissenting  vote.  So  surprised  and  dehghted  were 
the  members  at  this  unexpected  and  happy  result  that  it 
was  proposed  to  sing  the  doxology,  "■  Praise  God,  from  whom 
all  blessings  flow."  All  joined  in  the  singing  with  unusual 
fervor.  The  form  of  question  as  thus  adopted,  with  only 
a  change  of  one  or  two  words,  has  since  remained  unchal- 
lenged in  the  Discipline. 

V.       SECRET   SOCIETIES. 

This  subject,  after  the  legislation  of  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1849,  began  to  be  a  source  of  unrest  in  the 
Church,  and  of  debate  in  the  General  Conferences,  leading 
often,  as  time  advanced,  to  much  bitterness  and  acrimonious 
utterance,  until  by  the  action  of  the  Church,  in  the  quad- 
rennium  between  1885  and  1889,  it  was  practically  set  at 
rest.  The  feeling  which  revolted  against  the  law  of  1849 
was  at  first  limited  to  a  small  number  of  the  members 
of  the  conferences.  But  the  belief  in  the  unwisdom  of  the 
extreme  legislation  continued  to  assert  itself.  In  the  con- 
ference of  1857  a  paper  was  offered  by  J.  B.  Resler  as  a 
substitute  for  the  rule  of  1849.  That  the  reader  may  see 
how  ver}^  little  was  asked  in  the  direction  of  modification, 
the  proposition  is  here  reproduced  : 

There  shall  be  no  connection  with  secret  oathbound  combina- 
tions. Any  member  found  connected  with  such  combination  shall 
be  affectionately  admonished  twice  or  thrice  hy  the  preacher  in 
charge,  and  if  such  member  does  not  desist  in  a  reasonable  time 
he  shall  be  notified  to  appear  before  the  tribunal  to  which  he  is 
amenable,  and  if  he  still  refuse  to  desist  he  shall  be  expelled. 

The  motion  to  adopt  was  debated  at  some  length,  Mr. 
Bachtel,  of  Virginia,  supporting  Mr.  Eesler  in  the  discus- 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861  809 

sion,  Mr.  Markwood,  J.  Erb,  and  others  opposing.  The 
proposition  was  rejected  by  a  vote  of  forty-six  nays  to 
five  yeas. 

The  conference  of  1861,  at  Westerville,  Ohio,  amended 
the  rule  by  prescribing  the  manner  of  proceeding  against 
persons  offending.  It  added  the  words,  ''shall  be  dealt 
with  as  in  case  of  other  immoralities."  The  amendment 
was  sustained  by  sixty-eight  yeas,  and  opposed  by  five 
nays,  one  of  the  members  voting  nay  subsequently 
changing  his  vote  to  yea.  The  use  of  the  word  "other" 
in  connection  with  "immoralities"  definitely  classed  con- 
nection with  secret  organizations  as  an  immorality,  and 
so  proved  unsatisfactory  to  many  in  the  laity,  the  language 
being  thought  indefensible  and  needlessly  offensive. 

VI.       THE    SLAVERY    QUESTION. 

We  have  seen  that  the  General  Conference  as  early  as 
1821  embodied  the  voice  of  the  Church  in  a  distinct 
utterance  against  the  institution  of  slavery.  The  rule 
adopted  and  placed  in  the  Book  of  Discipline  was  strongly 
and  clearly  drawn,  and  could  not  be  misunderstood.  In 
time,  however,  there  were  found  persons  in  membership 
in  the  Church  who  held  slaves  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances, such  as  made  it  difficult,  if  not  quite  impossible, 
to  manumit  them,  on  account  of  the  form  of  wills  under 
which  they  were  inherited,  or  the  extreme  old  age  of  the 
slaves,  whom  it  seemed  cruel  to  set  adrift.  Some  of  the 
ministers,  especially  in  Virginia  and  Maryland,  found 
themselves  embarrassed  by  these  conditions,  and  a  re- 
quest was  sent  to  the  General  Conference  of  1857  for  an 
explanation  of  the  rule  relating  to  slavery.  The  subject 
was  carefully  and  considerately  dealt  with,  but  the  con- 
ference stood  firmly  by  the  rule,  and  declared  that  the 
ministers  must  gently  but  firmly   maintain   the   position 


310  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  the  Church,  and  instructed  the  bishops  visiting  the 
Virginia  Conference  to  make  due  inquiry  if  the  law  were 
enforced.  This  attitude  of  the  conference,  while  working 
apparent  temporary  hardship,  maintained  the  position  of 
the  Church  and  assisted  in  preserving  its  unity  when 
some  of  our  sister  denominations  were  rent  in  twain. 

VII.       ELECTIONS    OF    BISHOPS. 

The  bishops  chosen  by  the  General  Conference  of  1853 
were  J.  J.  Glossbrenner  and  David  Edwards,  reelected,  and 
Lewis  Davis.  These  w^ere  again  elected  in  1857,  and  John 
Russel  was  added  to  the  number.  In  1861  Bishops  Gloss- 
brenner and  Edwards  were  reelected,  with  Jacob  Markwood 
and  Daniel  Shuck  as  associates,  the  last  named  being 
chosen  especially  for  the  work  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It 
was  also  decided  to  elect  a  bishop  for  the  special  super- 
intendence of  the  German  work,  and  Henry  Kumler,  Jun., 
was  chosen. 

The  following  resolution  relating  to  Bible  study  in  the 
institutions  of  learning  was  adopted  in  1857  : 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  advice  of  this  General  Conference  to  all 
who  have  control  of  the  educational  interests  of  the  Church,  to  em- 
brace in  their  regular  course  of  study  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  one  of 
the  books  in  which  there  shall  be  regular  recitations. 

VIII.       PERSONAL    NOTES. 

1.     Lewis  Davis,  D.D, 

One  of  the  strongest  figures  in  the  councils,  as  also  in 
the  work,  of  the  Church,  during  a  period  of  half  a  century, 
was  Rev.  Lewis  Davis,  D.D.  He  was  born  near  Newcastle, 
then  in  Botetourt  County,  Virginia,  on  February  14,  1814. 
His  ancestry  on  his  father's  side  was  Welsh,  while  his 
mother  was  of  Scotch  descent.  Thus  he  derived  legiti- 
mately  that   resoluteness   of   character  which  so  strongly 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861  3U 

marked  his  life.  His  father  was  poor  in  worldly  goods, 
and  at  eighteen  the  son  left  home  to  learn  a  trade.  He 
chose  that  of  a  blacksmith,  but  his  employer  was  chiefly 
engaged  in  tool-making,  and  so  he  learned  that  art.  This 
man  early  saw  in  him  the  prophecy  of  a  broader  life  than 
that  of  an  artisan,  and  encouraged  him  to  read,  and  also 
to  attend  the  academy  at  Newcastle.  In  this  school  he  spent 
about  a  year  and  a  half,  thus  laying  the  foundations  upon 
which  he  afterward  erected  the  edifice  of  a  solid  education. 
Mr.  Davis's  religious  impressions  began  also  during  this 
time  to  take  distinct  form.  He  afterward  spent  some  time 
in  West  Virginia  as  a  teacher,  and  subsequently  came 
across  into  Ohio.  His  conversion  occurred  under  the 
ministry  of  Rev.  William  Davis,  M.D.,  and  after  this  his 
friends  began  to  intimate  to  him  that  the  Lord  intended 
him  for  the  ministry.  He  received  his  first  license  to 
preach  when  he  was  twenty -four  years  old.  In  the  spring 
of  the  next  year,  1839,  he  joined  the  Scioto  Conference, 
and  for  eight  years  performed  faithfully  the  work  of  an 
itinerant  preacher,  part  of  the  time  as  presiding  elder.  He 
felt  deeply  the  disadvantages  of  his  limited  education,  but 
resolved  to  make  the  most  of  every  possible  opportunity 
for  self-improvement.  He  carried  his  books  with  him, 
and  when  entering  a  house,  after  exchanging  cheerful 
greetings,  and  spending  a  little  time  in  conversation,  he 
was  accustomed  to  withdraw  to  some  other  part  of  the 
room  and  begin  his  studies.  This  did  not  always  meet 
the  approbation  of  the  friends  who  entertained  him,  and 
various  instances  are  related  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
was  obhged  to  defend  himself  in  order  to  be  allowed  to 
pursue  his  studies.  On  one  occasion  a  kind-hearted  but 
talkative  brother  said  to  him  :  "  Brother  Davis,  I  don't  want 
that  work  done.  While  you  are  here,  I  want  you  to  talk 
all  the  time.     You  are  our  preacher,  and  I  pay  you  for 


312  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

talking."  "Brother,"  he  replied,  "I  can't  talk  all  the 
time,  and  if  you  won't  allow  me  to  study  some  while  in 
your  house  I  must  go  elsewhere,  where  I  can  study."  ^  His 
perseverance  in  study  soon  gained  for  him  the  highest 
respect,  and  he  was  allowed  to  have  his  own  way.  His 
diligent  attendance  to  study,  thus  sustained  through  a 
series  of  years,  so  broadened  and  strengthened  his  mind 
that  by  and  by,  though  not  having  graduated  from  any 
college,  he  was  deemed,  and  at  that  time  justly,  too,  the 
most  fit  man  in  the  denomination  to  assume  the  presidency 
of  its  first  college,  to  which  position  he  was  elected  three 
years  after  its  founding.  And  this  same  earnest  study, 
with  the  fruits  following,  seldom  intermitted  during  his 
lifetime,  led  to  his  selection  as  the  head  of  the  theological 
seminary  when  it  was  founded  twenty-one  years  later. 

Mr.  Davis,  though  not  a  member  of  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1845,  united  his  influence  with  that  of  others  in 
securing  action  by  that  body  recommending  the  founding 
of  an  institution  of  learning  for  the  Church.  When 
the  Scioto  Conference  began  to  move  in  this  direction,  and 
the  Blendon  Young  Men's  Seminary,  at  Westerville,  Ohio, 
was  purchased,  he  was  among  the  foremost  in  urging  for- 
ward the  enterprise.  He  was  appointed  one  of  the  trustees, 
and  became  soliciting  agent  for  the  project,  himself  making 
the  first  subscription  ever  made  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church  for  an  educational  institution.  He  found  this  hard 
work,  encountering  in  some  instances  strong  opposition 
from  official  sources.  At  the  session  of  the  Sandusky 
Conference,  whose  cooperation  he  sought.  Bishop  Russel, 
who  was  presiding,  and  who  was  for  many  years  intensely 
averse  to  education  undertaken  by  the  Church,  resolved 
that  Mr.  Davis  should  not  be  heard  in  the  open  conference, 
and  repeatedly  ruled  him  out  of  order  when  he  sought 

» Thompson's  Our  Bishops,  p.  398. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861  313 

to  speak.  When  the  vote  was  taken,  the  majority  favored 
cooperation.  At  the  Muskingum  Conference,  soon  after, 
the  same  experience  was  repeated,  the  bishop  peremptorily 
commanding  him  to  "be  still."  Here  the  bishop  carried 
the  conference  with  him.  The  next  year  the  action  was 
reversed,  and  the  conference  came  into  line. 

In  1850  Mr.  Davis  was  elected  president  of  Otterbein 
University.  In  1853,  though  not  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  he  was  elected  bishop.  He  performed 
the  duties  of  this  office,  retaining  the  presidency  of  the 
college.  In  1857  he  was  reelected  bishop.  He  then 
resigned  the  office  of  president,  but  two  years  later,  on 
the  resignation  of  President  Alexander  Owen,  he  was 
again  called  to  be  the  head  of  the  college.  He  then  con- 
tinued to  fill  this  position  with  great  distinction  until  he 
was  called,  in  1871,  to  the  chair  of  theology  and  the  rela- 
tion of  senior  professor  in  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  at 
Dayton.  This  position  he  held  until  1885,  when  advanc- 
ing years  began  to  tell  seriously  upon  hnn,  and  he  was 
released  from  active  duties.  He  was  then  made  professor 
emeritus,  in  which  relation  he  remained  to  the  end  of  his 
hfe. 

He  was  first  elected  to  the  General  Conference  in  1869, 
though  he  was  twice  before  a  member  by  virtue  of  being 
a  bishop.  After  1869  he  was  reelected  to  each  conference 
until  1885.  As  a  member  of  the  General  Conference, 
while  watchful  over  the  various  interests  of  the  Church, 
there  was  one  subject  to  which  he  gave  supreme  attention — 
the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  secret  organizations.  On 
this  he  was  intensely  radical,  giving  it  his  most  studious 
and  unremitting  thought.  Other  issues  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  conferences  were  often  watched  by  him  and  sup- 
ported or  opposed  according  to  their  supposed  or  possible 
bearing,  near  or   remote,  on   this  one  central   issue.     To 


314  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

such  an  extent  did  he  yield  himself  to  this  that  it  became 
with  him  through  many  years  a  kind  of  morbid  infatua- 
tion, and  one  could  not  but  feel  a  regret  that  his  great 
abilities  for  varied  service  should  have  been  so  far  con- 
centrated upon  this  one  thing,  as  if  there  were  no  other 
evils  for  the  Church  to  combat,  no  other  great  ends  to 
achieve.  His  great  abilities  on  the  conference  floor  were 
always  recognized.  As  a  debater  he  was  usually  logical, 
always  forcible ;  in  speech  and  manner,  ever  dignified, 
never  condescending.  With  his  great  strength  he  easily 
carried  a  large  following  of  weaker  men  with  him. 

As  a  preacher  Dr.  Davis  was  entitled  to  eminent  rank. 
He  thought  clearly  and  thoroughly,  acquired  a  complete 
grasp  of  his  subject,  and  spoke  with  deliberate  self- 
possession,  often  with  much  warmth,  frequently  mellow- 
ing into  great  tenderness  and  beauty.  He  may  be  said 
to  have  been  often  eloquent,  but  his  eloquence  did  not 
depend  on  the  multiplication  of  words,  or  elaborated 
phrases,  but  was  rather  the  result  of  a  clear  apprehension 
of  truth,  uttered  in  chaste  and  simple  diction.  In  social 
life  he  was  genial  and  kind,  full  of  pleasant  sunshine, 
but  preserving  always  a  dignity  which  is  seldom  attained, 
and  never  counterfeited.  His  home  was  the  center  of  a 
large  and  generous  hospitality. 

As  a  writer  Dr.  Davis  wielded  an  able  pen.  In  his 
earlier  years  the  columns  of  the  Religious  Telescope  were 
frequently  enriched  by  his  contributions,  usually  on  educa- 
tional subjects.  In  his  later  years  he  wrote  the  "Life  of 
Bishop  David  Edwards,"  a  volume  possessing  permanent 
merit.  On  the  slavery  question,  though  born  and  brought 
up  in  Virginia,  he  was,  like  Bishop  Markwood  and  others 
of  our  ministers  in  that  State,  one  of  the  stanchest  of 
abolitionists. 

To  many  of  his  truest  friends  it  was  a  source  of  pro- 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861  315 

found  sorrow  that  his  extreme  attitude  on  the  antisecrecy 
legislation  carried  him  at  last  away  from  the  moorings 
to  which  he  had  so  long  been  anchored.  The  great  body 
of  the  Church,  wearied  with  the  fanaticism  and  the  inces- 
sant clamor  of  ultra-radicalism,  began  in  time  to  yield 
to  a  strong  reaction.  This  tendency,  from  being  repre- 
sented in  the  General  Conferences  preceding  that  of  1869 
by  a  vote  of  less  than  five,  gradually  gained  strength  until 
in  1885  it  was  represented  by  more  than  a  two-thirds 
majority,  and  radicalism  began  to  look  toward  secession. 
Dr.  Davis  was  not  present  in  the  General  Conference  of 
1889,  when  secession  became  a  fact,  but  his  sympathies 
had  been  with  tlie  leaders,  and  he  gave  them  subsequent 
support.  He  was  now  old,  and  the  time  of  the  end  was 
drawing  near.  Meanwhile,  he  never  asked  for  a  letter  of 
dismissal  from  the  Summit  Street  Church,  where  he  held 
his  local  membership,  and  where  he  and  Mrs.  Davis  each 
were  recognized  with  highest  honor  until  they  were  called 
by  the  Master.  In  conversation  with  his  pastor.  Dr.  G.  M. 
Mathews,  he  sometimes  playfully  alluded  to  the  fact  that 
his  name  remained  with  the  Summit  Street  congregation, 
but  never  asked  for  a  change.  He  found  it  no  easy  task 
to  separate  himself  from  the  Church  to  which  he  had 
given  so  many  years  of  service,  and  which  had  so  long 
honored  him  with  its  confidence  and  regard.  After  his 
death  the  quarterly  conference  of  the  charge  passed  reso- 
lutions, embodying  the  fact  of  his  connection  with  the 
congregation  and  their  body,  and  expressing  sentiments 
appropriate  to  the  occasion. 

When  the  end  cajne,  on  March  23,  1890,  it  found  him 
serene  in  spirit,  and  fully  prepared  for  the  mysterious  tran- 
sition. The  departure  was  a  great  spiritual  triumph,  and 
the  recollection  of  the  words  spoken  and  the  scenes  wit- 
nessed will  not  easily  fade  from  the  memories  of  those  who 


316  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

visited  the  chamber  from  which  his  spirit  took  its  flight. 
His  remains,  after  appropriate  services  in  the  Summit  Street 
Church,  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  beautiful  Woodland  Cem- 
etery at  Dayton,  not  far  from  the  spot  w^here  the  body  of 
Bishop  Edwards  sleeps.  Five  years  later  the  body  of  Mrs. 
Davis,  whose  attachment  and  devotion  to  the  Church  never 
faltered,  was  laid  beside  that  of  her  husband. 

Dr.  Davis  will  long  be  remembered  for  his  great  service 
in  the  educational  work  of  the  Church,  a  field  in  which 
he  was  its  first  and  most  distinguished  pioneer,  and  to 
which  he  gave  a  greater  number  of  years  than  have  been 
given  by  any  other  in  the  same  calling.  His  age  at  the 
time  of  his  death  was  seventy-six  years,  one  month,  and 
nine  days.  Nineteen  years  he  served  as  president  of  Otter- 
bein  University,  fourteen  years  as  senior  professor  in  Union 
Biblical  Seminary,  and  fifty-one  years  in  the  Christian 
ministry. 

2.     Jacob  Markwood. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  men  whom  the  Church 
has  yet  produced  was  Bishop  Jacob  Markwood,  of  the 
Virginia  Conference.  He  was  born  amid  the  romantic 
scenery  of  what  is  now  West  Virginia,  near  Charleston, 
in  Jefferson  County,  on  December  26,  1815.  His  father, 
John  Markwood,  was  not  a  professor  of  religion.  His 
mother  was  a  woman  of  devout  spirit,  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  possessed  the  qualities  of  a 
finely  cultured  Christian  lady.  From  her  Jacob,  one  of 
the  latest  born  of  a  large  family,  derived  chiefly  those 
qualities  which  so  strongly  marked  his  character.  He 
was  the  subject  of  deep  religious  conviction  in  his  tenth 
year,  and  became,  as  he  grew  older,  a  diligent  reader  of 
the  Bible.  He  dated  his  conversion  to  his  seventeenth 
year,  but  did  not  form  a  connection  with  any  church  until 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861  317 

he  was  in  his  twenty-first  year,  when  he  joined  the  United 
Brethren  Church.  His  father  possessed  no  property,  was 
by  trade  a  mason,  and  made  several  removals  during  his 
life.  Blindness  seems  to  have  been  a  misfortune  of  the 
family,  both  the  parents  and  some  of  the  children  losing 
their  vision  as  life  advanced.  The  father  became  blind 
some  six  years  before  his  death,  and  the  mother  fourteen 
years.  Bishop  Mark  wood  inherited  the  tendency,  and  was 
nearly  bhnd  for  about  a  year  before  his  death.  Had  he 
lived  to  old  age,  it  is  probable  that  he  would  have  walked 
many  years  in  darkness. 

As  were  others  of  the  family,  Jacob  was  early  left  to 
make  his  own  living.  At  thirteen  he  found  employment 
in  a  woolen  and  carding  mill,  remaining  for  three  years. 
At  sixteen  he  was  employed  by  two  older  brothers,  in  the 
same  business,  on  Green  Spring  Eiver,  in  Frederick  County, 
Virginia.  Here  he  learned  all  the  arts,  as  then  under- 
stood, connected  with  the  woolen  factory,  and  became  an 
expert  weaver.  Here  he  was  accustomed  to  keep  the  Bible 
on  the  loom  before  him,  so  that  he  could  glance  at  it  in 
favorable  moments,  and  gather  portions  of  its  wealth  into 
his  mind. 

In  the  year  1837  he  received  a  license  to  exhort,  and 
within  the  same  year  also  a  license  to  preach,  his  creden- 
tials being  signed  by  Wilham  R.  Rhinehart,  then  a  pre- 
siding elder  in  the  Virginia  Conference.  The  following 
year,  in  1838,  he  became  a  member  of  the  conference,  and 
at  once  entered  into  the  itinerant  work,  and  upon  that 
brilliant  career  which  marked  him  as  one  of  the  foremost 
preachers  of  his  time.  After  five  years  of  service  as  a 
circuit  and  stationed  preacher,  he  was  elected  presiding 
elder,  serving  in  this  office  with  the  greatest  acceptability. 
In  this  relation  most  of  his  time  was  passed,  greatly  to 
the  edification  of  the  Church  in  Virginia,  with  but  little 


318  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

interruption,  until  the  General  Conference,  in  1861,  called 
him  to  become  a  shepherd  over  a  wider  field.  He  served 
as  a  bishop  for  eight  years,  acquiring  the  greatest  popu- 
larity with  ministers  and  people,  and  would  doubtless  have 
been  continued  in  the  office  had  not  severe  and  settled 
aliiiction  disabled  him  for  further  service  in  a  field  whose 
labors  so  severely  test  the  strongest  constitutions. 

Bishop  Markwood  w^as  of  rather  slight  figure,  not  over 
five  feet  and  seven  or  eight  inches  in  height,  and  of  erect 
and  elegant  carriage.  He  was  quite  dark  in  complexion, 
with  strongly  outlined  face  and  head.  His  black  hair  fell 
in  heavy  masses  about  his  head.  His  disposition  is  perhaps 
difficult  to  describe.  He  was  genial,  polite,  courteous  in 
the  best  sense,  full  of  the  gentlest  kindness,  generous  with- 
out limit.  But  this  generous  nature  was  capable  of  being 
profoundly  stirred  in  rebuking  iniquity.  When  dealing 
with  the  slavery  question,  with  the  liquor  traffic,  or  other 
evils  that  laid  claim  to  respectability,  he  was  capable  of 
pouring  out  a  very  deluge  of  fire.  The  stately  AVendell 
Phillips,  that  master  of  the  oratory  of  invective,  was 
scarcely  able  to  give  utterance  to  such  a  scathing  storm 
of  wrath  as  Bishop  Markwood  sometimes  did  when  deal- 
ing with  these  monster  evils. 

In  his  preaching  the  bishop  was  a  master.  His 
diction  was  copious,  his  utterance  rapid  and  warm,  and 
his  power  to  reach  every  passion  and  impulse  of  the  heart 
rarely  surpassed.  He  gave  careful  attention  to  the 
preparation  of  his  sermons,  but  did  not  build  them  up 
artificially  according  to  the  usual  laws  for  sermon-making. 
He  sought  to  fill  his  mind  and  heart  thoroughly  with  his 
subject,  and  then  trusted  much  to  the  inspiration  of  the 
occasion  for  the  forms  of  utterance — a  method  very  safe 
for  him,  but  not  to  be  generally  commended  for  imitation. 

Unhappily   for  this  gifted  man,  he  paid   slight  regard 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861         319 

to  the  laws  of  health.  He  traveled  with  equal  willingness 
by  day  or  night,  in  the  saddle  in  his  earlier  years,  or  on 
the  train  in  the  later,  thus  depriving  himself  of  the  rest 
which  his  impulsive  nature  so  greatly  needed  for  proper 
recuperation.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  him  to 
be  all  night  in  the  saddle  in  order  to  reach  distant  ap- 
pointments when  he  served  as  presiding  elder  in  Virginia, 
and  in  his  long  trips  on  his  Western  districts  as  bishop 
he  was  equally  reckless  of  the  claims  of  his  physical 
nature.  The  nervous  exhaustion  which  gradually  brought 
on  the  final  crisis,  was  largely  due  to  excesses  in  preaching 
and  travel. 

In  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  he  was  compelled  early  to 
seek  a  home  in  the  North,  his  fiery  arraignment  of  the 
movements  leading  to  secession  inviting  against  him  the 
unfavorable  attention  of  the  Confederate  authorities.  The 
sum  of  a  thousand  dollars  was  offered  for  his  apprehension, 
but  he  had  found  a  safe  asylum  with  friends  in  the  North. 
The  bishop's  home  was  without  children,  and  his  wife, 
whom  many  remember  as  a  lady  of  beautiful  Christian 
character  and  accomplishments,  came  north  with  him. 
She  afterward  accompanied  him  frequently  in  his  travels  on 
his  districts,  being  everywhere  received  as  a  welcome  guest. 

His  eight  years  of  service  as  a  bishop  closed  in  May, 
1869,  and  after  much  painful  affliction  his  earthly  career 
closed  on  January  22,  1873.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his 
father-in-law,  at  Luray,  in  Page  County,  Virginia,  aged 
fifty-seven  years  and  twenty-seven  days.  Rev.  G.  W. 
Statton,  D.D.,  preached  an  appropriate  funeral  discourse. 
His  remains  sleep  in  the  cemetery  at  Luray,  and  those 
of  his  wife,  whose  death  occurred  December  3,  1886,  rest 
by  his  side.  On  a  marble  shaft  marking  the  place  where 
he  is  buried  are  inscribed  his  last  words:  "My  work  is 
done  ;  the  Lord  has  no  more  work  for  me  to  do." 


320  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

3.     Daniel  Shuck. 

The  men  whose  names  have  up  to  this  time  come  into 
prominent  mention  in  these  pages  have  all  passed  on  into 
the  heavenly  world.  Others  who  are  yet  living  must  now 
be  introduced,  and  these  must  be  spoken  of  with  more 
reserve,  and  generally  more  briefly. 

Among  those  whom  the  General  Conference  has  honored 
with  its  confidence  is  Ex-Bishop  Daniel  Shuck,  of  the 
Indiana  Annual  Conference,  who  was  elected  to  this  high 
office  at  the  session  in  Westerville,  Ohio,  in  1861.  At 
that  time  the  work  on  the  Pacific  Coast  was  rising  into 
importance,  and  the  conference  decided  to  form  it  into  a 
missionary  district,  with  a  resident  bishop  to  superintend 
it.  Mr.  Shuck  was  then  in  the  prime  of  young  and  vigor- 
ous life.  He  was  full  of  religious  zeal  and  of  the  mis- 
sionary fervor  which  the  recent  organization  of  the  Home, 
Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  had  kindled  in 
the  hearts  of  many,  and  it  was  a  most  fit  selection  when 
the  General  Conference  laid  its  hands  upon  him  for  that 
work.  He  shrank  at  first  from  the  responsibility  involved, 
but  gave  his  consent  to  go.  Returning  to  New  Albany, 
Indiana,  to  complete  his  year  of  service  there  as  pastor,  he 
meanwhile  made  preparation  for  the  journey.  When  the 
time  came  for  his  departure,  the  emergencies  of  the  Civil 
War,  which  had  then  begun  in  earnest,  placed  an  embargo 
upon  his  going,  and  it  was  not  until  March,  1864,  that  he 
reached  Sacramento  City.  There  being  then  no  trans- 
continental railroad,  the  journey  was  made  by  New  York, 
Aspinwall,  and  Panama. 

His  work  as  a  Coast  bishop  in  those  days  was  beset 
with  many  difficulties,  on  account  of  the  long  trips  over 
mountainous  countries.  Especially  difficult  was  the  over- 
land journey  to  Oregon  and  return.  Once,  on  the  return, 
he  was  set  upon  by  robbers.     A  display  of  revolvers  and 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1853-1861  321 

Ugly-looking  knives,  pockets  emptied,  the  bishop  tied  to 
a  tree,  while  Mrs.  Shuck  was  being  searched  and  their 
trunk  pilfered  of  clothing  and  money,  were  some  of  the 
incidents  of  the  experience.  Their  persons  were  not 
harmed,  and  they  went  on  their  way  rejoicing  that  life 
was  spared,  but  they  felt  that  as  they  had  before  been 
"in  perils  of  waters,"  so  now  they  had  also  been  "in 
perils  of  robbers." 

The  General  Conference  of  1865  reelected  Bishop  Shuck, 
though  he  was  not  present  at  the  session,  having  been  on 
his  district  only  a  little  over  a  year,  and  the  distance  being 
so  great.  The  conference  of  1869,  at  Lebanon,  Pennsyl- 
vania, dissolved  the  Coast  District,  deciding  that  the 
conferences  there  should  be  visited  by  the  bishops  of  the 
general  work  alternately.  Bishop  Shuck  was  in  attendance 
at  this  conference,  but  some  time  afterward  returned  to 
the  Coast,  having  resolved  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
life  among  the  people  there.  He  continued  to  serve  the 
Church  with  great  faithfulness  in  various  relations,  as 
presiding  elder,  circuit  and  stationed  preacher,  evangelist, 
or  missionary.  Several  years  ago  the  severities  of  hard 
service  began  to  tell  upon  his  vigorous  constitution,  and 
his  voice  entirely  failed  him.  That  trouble  is  now  chiefly 
removed,  and  he  rejoices  in  being  able  sometimes,  though 
now  seventy  years  old,  to  preach  as>often  as  three  times 
on  a  Sabbath.  His  wife,  who  so  long  endured  with  him 
the  hardships  of  pioneer  life,  is  still  by  his  side,  and  they 
have  just  passed  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  marriage. 

Ex-Bishop  Shuck  joined  the  Indiana  Conference  at  the 
age  of  about  seventeen,  in  1844,  and  has  been  in  the 
ministry  about  fifty-three  years.  He  became  interested 
in  the  cause  of  education,  assisted  in  locating  Union 
Biblical  Seminary,  and  has  been  one  of  the  chief  sup- 
porters of  San  Joaquin  Valley  College. 

21 


322  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

On  the  subject  of  legislation  relating  to  secret  societies, 
he  stood  for  the  Discipline  as  from  time  to  time  amended. 
But  when  the  final  crisis  came,  he  remained  loyal  to  the 
Church,  deeming  the  preservation  of  the  Church  an  object 
more  to  be  desired  than  stubborn  adhesion  to  a  principle 
which  the  great  body  of  its  people  had  ceased  to  support. 

He  resides  now  in  Sacramento  City,  California,  and 
rejoices  in  any  labor  that  he  is  able  to  perform  for  the 
Master  whom  he  has  so  long  served,  and  in  the  prosperity 
of  the  Church  to  which  the  toil  of  his  life  has  been  given. 


Jacob  Markwood. 


John  Dickson. 


William  R.  Rhinehart. 


John  C.  Beight. 


Solomon  Vonnieda. 


William  Mittendokf. 


,*■- 


David  L.  Rike. 


Jacob  Hoke. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881 
I.       A    PERIOD    OF    PROGRESS. 

The  time  from  1865  to  1885  was  in  a  marked  degree 
distinguished  as  a  period  of  development.  Events  having 
a  most  important  bearing  on  the  progress  of  the  Church 
transpired  between  these  dates.  A  non-progressive  spirit, 
too,  asserted  itself,  for  a  time  with  increasing  intensity, 
tending  to  restrict  the  life  of  the  Church  within  narrower 
limits,  to  be  met,  however,  by  that  strong  reaction  which 
made  possible  the  culmination  of  1885,  and  made  that 
one  of  the  truly  historic  years  of  the  Church.  The  period 
was  one  of  steady  growth  in  the  membership  and  the 
various  institutions  of  the  Church.  The  field  of  operations 
was  rapidly  enlarged  in  the  newer  districts  of  the  West. 
The  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
proved  the  value  of  its  service  by  increasing  activities, 
aiding  in  the  organization  and  support  of  a  number  of  new 
conferences,  so  that  the  thirty-two  conferences  of  1865 
had  become  forty-eight  in  1885.  The  membership  of  the 
Church  also  was  nearly  doubled  within  this  period, 
advancing  from  89,811  to  173,265. 

Several  important  branches  of  church  work  also  were 
organized  in  such  manner  as  to  come  definitely  under  the 
care  of  the  General  Conference.  The  first  of  these  was 
the  General  Sunday-School  Board,  originally  called  Sunday- 
School  Association,  formed  by  the  conference  of  1865. 
Next  followed   Union   Biblical  Seminary,  the  preliminary 


324  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

steps  for  its  founding  being  taken  by  the  conference  of 
1869.  After  this  followed  the  Woman's  Missionary  Asso- 
ciation, organized  independently,  but  receiving  the  official 
recognition  of  the  General  Conference.  This  association 
was  formed  in  1875,  and  it  was  an  incident  of  very  special 
interest  when,  at  the  General  Conference  of  1877,  at  West- 
field,  Illinois,  Mrs.  D.  L.  Eike,  as  a  representative  of  the 
woman's  board,  presented  in  an  excellent  address  the 
greetings  of  the  association.  The  conference  of  1869 
organized  a  general  Board  of  Education,  which  should 
have  oversight  of  all  the  educational  work  of  the  Church. 
This  board  has  accomplished  a  valuable  service  in  this  im- 
portant field.  This  conference  also  organized  the  Church- 
Erection  Society,  laying  the  foundations  of  a  department 
of  work  which  has  already  proved  of  much  service  in 
its  particular  field,  and  will  accomplish  far  greater  work 
in  the  future.  In  the  publishing  department  great  advance 
was  made.  In  1865  the  Publishing  House,  though  show- 
ing assets  amounting  to  over  sixty  thousand  dollars,  was 
embarrassed  with  liabilities  reaching  so  near  to  an  equal 
amount  that  a  sale  of  the  House  could  not  have  satisfied 
the  claims  against  it.  In  1885  the  net  assets  above  all 
liabilities  were  considerably  more  than  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  This  material  progress,  however,  is  to 
be  regarded  only  as  an  index  suggesting  the  higher  gains 
to  the  Church  accomplished  through  the  numerous  publi- 
cations issued  from  its  presses.  Each  of  these  special 
departments  of  work  will  be  found  spoken  of  farther  on 
in  this  volume. 

II.       PRO    RATA    REPRESENTATION. 

Several  questions  of  church  polity  were  much  agitated 
through  this  period.  Among  the  most  important  of  these 
were  those  relating  to  the  ratio  of  representation  in  the 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  325 

General  Conference,  and  to  lay  representation  or  lay  dele- 
gation in  the  General  and  annual  conferences.  The  earliest 
basis  of  representation  in  the  General  Conference  had  no 
reference  to  annual-conference  districts.  By  the  consent, 
or  request,  of  the  old,  or  original,  conference  in  the  East, 
the  Miami  Annual  Conference  arranged  the  basis  for  rep- 
resentation for  the  first  General  Conference,  held  in  1815. 
The  Church  was  divided  into  ten  districts,  each  district 
to  be  entitled  to  two  delegates.  The  districts  of  the  pre- 
siding elders  seem  to  have  furnished,  in  part,  at  least,  the 
basis  for  the  division  into  the  ten  districts.  This  arrange- 
ment seems  to  have  placed  it  within  the  power  of  any 
annual  conference  to  secure  for  itself  a  larger  representation 
in  the  General  Conference  by  increasing  the  number  of  its 
presiding-elders'  districts.  At  any  rate,  in  the  General 
Conference  of  1833  some  of  the  Western  conferences  appear 
to  have  gained  material  advantage  over  tliose  in  the  East. 
But  this  advantage,  with  their  power  to  outvote  their 
Eastern  brethren,  they  appear  to  have  surrendered  grace- 
fully, for  in  the  conference  succeeding,  that  of  1837,  rep- 
resentation was  upon  an  even  plane,  each  of  the  eight 
conferences  then  existing  having  two  delegates  on  the 
floor.  The  ratio  of  representation  was  one  of  the  subjects 
considered  by  this  body,  and  it  was  evidently  the  judgment 
of  the  majority  that  the  arrangement  was  unfair  to  the 
larger  conferences.  The  proof  of  this  is  in  the  fact  that, 
in  framing  the  Constitution  which  they  approved  and 
placed  before  the  Church,  they  adopted  the  principle  of 
pro  rata  representation.  The  basis  proposed  was  e(iui- 
table,  and  was  very  clearly  expressed  in  the  following, 
in  Section  3  of  Article  I. : 

The  number  of  delegates  from  each  conference  district  shall  not 
exceed  one  for  every  five  hundred  members.  But  should  it  so  hap- 
pen that  a  conference  would  be  formed  in  a  territory  not  having  five 


326  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

hundred  members  within  its  district,  that  conference  shall  never- 
theless have  one  delegate  to  represent  its  members  in  General 
Conference. 

The  General  Conference  of  1841  was  evidently  not  of 
the  same  mind  with  that  of  1837.  In  framing  the  Con- 
stitution which  was  then  adopted,  and  by  which  the 
Church  was  governed  until  1889,  the  conference  left  out 
the  pro  rata  feature,  but  placed  a  clause  in  the  body  of 
the  Discipline  providing  for  a  representation  of  three 
delegates  from  each  annual  conference.  It  was  early  felt 
that  an  arrangement  which  gave  to  five  hundred  or  a 
less  number  of  members  in  a  mission  conference  as  much 
power  in  the  law-making  body  of  the  Church  as  was 
possessed  by  five  thousand  or  ten  thousand  in  an  older 
conference  was  gravely  unjust,  and  earnest  efforts  were 
from  time  to  time  made  to  secure  a  more  equitable  repre- 
sentation. The  first  movement  in  this  direction  w^as  in 
the  General  Conference  of  1857,  upon  a  motion  intro- 
duced by  the  younger  Bishop  Kumler  favoring  pro  rata 
representation.  The  motion  was  voted  down,  as  were  all 
subsequent  efibrts  during  the  successive  General  Confer- 
ences until  1881.  The  General  Conference  of  that  year 
adopted  a  compromise  measure,  in  which  the  pro  rata 
principle  was  partially  recognized.  The  measure  gave  to 
the  smallest  annual  conference  no  less  than  two,  and  to 
the  largest  no  more  than  four,  delegates. 

III.       LAY    REPRESENTATIOX. 

Originally  the  General  and  annual  conferences  of  the 
Church  were  composed  of  the  ministerial  class  alone.  This 
composition  of  the  conferences  grew  naturally  out  of  the 
type  of  its  early  life.  At  the  "great  meetings"  the  min- 
isters held  their  councils  and  decided  what  places  were 
to  be  visited  and  who  among   them   were  to   make   the 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881         327 

visits  or  tours  determined  upon.  Later,  when  these  coun- 
cils became  organized  conference  meetings,  they  still  con- 
sisted of  the  ministers  only,  and  the  General  Conference, 
when  it  was  organized,  took  on  the  same  type.  This  was 
in  a  period  when  little  was  thought  of  except  building 
up  the  immediate  spiritual  interests  of  the  people.  There 
was  no  missionary  society,  no  colleges  or  seminaries,  no 
publishing  house,  and  not  very  much  building  of  church- 
houses.  There  was  but  little  that  required  immediate 
counsel  with  the  laity.  Most  of  the  ministers  received 
no  salaries,  and  others  so  little  that  even  the  office  of 
steward  was  for  a  number  of  years  unknown.  On  the 
material  side  of  building  up  the  Church,  in  which  it 
would  be  supposed  that  the  laity  were  especially  inter- 
ested, there  was  so  little  done  that  the  general  councils 
might  very  well  be  composed  of  ministers  only.  With 
the  springing  up  of  the  various  departments  of  church 
work,  these  conditions  changed,  and  there  began  to  be 
a  goodly  number,  both  in  the  ministry  and  in  the  laity, 
who  believed  that  the  laity  should  bear  a  part  in  the 
business  of  both  the  General  and  the  annual  confer- 
ences. As  related  to  the  financial  side  of  the  question, 
intelligent  laymen  frequenth^  made  the  just  complaint 
that  the  laity  were  expected  to  contribute  the  money 
for  carrying  forward  the  enterprises  of  the  Church  and 
were  denied  a  voice  in  determining  how  the  money 
should  be  spent. 

There  was  no  serious  barrier  in  the  Constitution  or  Rules 
of  Discipline  of  the  Church  to  forbid  laymen  becoming 
members  of  the  annual  conferences.  All  that  was  needed 
was  for  the  General  Conference  to  enact  the  necessary 
legislation  amending  the  provisions  under  which  annual 
conferences  were  formed.  In  regard  to  the  General  Con- 
ference the  case  was  different.      Here  the  Constitution  of 


328  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

1841,^  as  has  been  already  seen,  interposed  an  obstacle 
which  no  General  Conference  in  its  own  power  could 
overcome. 

The  provision  which  vested  all  ecclesiastical  power 
in  the  ministry  alone  must  of  necessity  be  changed 
before  the  laity  could  share  this  prerogative  with  the 
clergy  ;  and  the  provision  which  was  intended  to  make 
alteration  or  amendment  difficult  by  requiring  the  approval 
of  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  entire  Church,  did  this  very 
effectually.  Under  these  conditions  the  friends  of  lay 
delegation  had  a  problem  of  unusual  difficulty  to  meet. 
All  efforts  in  the  direction  of  securing  lay  delegation 
must  contemplate,  first,  the  favor  of  a  majority  in  the 
General  Conference,  composed  of  ministers  only,  many  of 
whom  believed  that  special  divine  prerogatives  to  rule 
as  well  as  to  shepherd  the  Church  were  committed  to 
the  ministry  ;  and,  secondly,  they  must  secure  the  approv- 
ing vote  of  the  entire  Church  on  an  amendment  to  the 
Constitution. 

The  first  well-directed  effort  to  secure  the  necessary 
legislation  for  bringing  such  an  amendment  before  the 
Church  for  its  approval  was  made  in  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1869.  A  committee  on  lay  representation  was 
appointed  as  one  of  the  standing  committees  of  the  confer- 
ence. An  excellent  report,  providing  for  an  amendment 
to  the  Constitution  and  for  the  requisite  legislation  to  take 
the  vote  of  the  people,  was  presented.  It  was  ably  de- 
fended before  the  conference,  but  voted  down  by  the 
decisive  majority  of'  fifty-five  against  thirty-two.  But  it 
would  be  unjust  to  this  conference  to  regard  it  as  non- 
progressive on  this  account,  since  it  was  this  body  which 
authorized  the  founding  of  a  theological  seminary  and 
created  the  Church-Erection  Society. 

» See  p.  305. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  329 

In  the  quadrennium  following  the  conference  of  1869 
a  decided  advance  in  the  sentiment  of  the  Church  on  this 
subject  was  made.  In  the  conference  of  1873,  held  at 
Dayton,  Ohio,  the  subject  was  again  introduced.  A  report 
similar  to  that  defeated  in  1869,  but  fuller  and  more 
explicit  in  its  provisions,  was  presented  and  adopted.  A 
question  then  arising  in  regard  to  the  construction  to  be 
placed  upon  Article  IV.  of  the  Constitution,  a  resolution  was 
adopted  referring  the  decision  to  the  Board  of  Bishops. 
The  question  related  to  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  "unless 
by  request  of  two-thirds  of  the  whole  society."  The  resolu- 
tion was  as  follows  : 

Resolved^  That  the  explicit  rendering  of  Article  TV.  of  the  Con- 
stitution be  submitted  to  the  Board  of  Bishops,  and  that  they  be 
instructed  to  publish  the  same  in  the  Religious  Telesaope. 

The  bishops  took  the  matter  under  advisement  at  a 
regular  meeting  subsequent  to  the  adjournment  of  the 
conference.  Being  four  in  number,  their  vote  upon  the 
main  question  involved  was  a  tie.  In  consequence, 
the  amendments  were  not  submitted  to  the  people,  the 
will  of  the  General  Conference  was  defeated,  and  lay 
representation  was  again  deferred. 

These  repeated  failures,  though  disappointing,  did  not 
dishearten  the  friends  of  lay  representation.  In  the  con- 
ference of  1877  the  subject  was  again  introduced,  and  a 
paper  was  adopted  empowering  the  annual  conferences, 
when  so  desiring,  to  adopt  lay  representation  in  their 
sessions,  each  charge  in  any  conference  to  be  entitled  to 
one  delegate.  The  lay  delegates  so  admitted  to  member- 
ship were  to  have  all  the  privileges  of  the  ministers,  ex- 
cept the  powder  to  vote  on  the  reception  or  expulsion  of 
preachers,  the  passing  of  licentiates  in  the  course  of  read- 
ing, and  the  election  of  presiding  elders.  Thus  an  im- 
portant advance  step  was  gained.     But  lay  representation 


330  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

in  the  General  Conference  was  to  be  still  further  delayed. 
In  the  conference  of  1881  a  report  providing  for  pro  rata 
representation  was  adopted,  but  the  same  report  also 
recommended  that  the  question  of  lay  representation  in 
the  General  Conference  be  for  the  present  deferred.  This 
part  of  the  report  was  also  adopted,  and  lay  representation 
in  that  body  was  not  secured  until,  by  the  action  of  the 
General  Conference  of  1885,  and  the  vote  of  the  entire 
Church  following,  the  Constitution  was  amended  so  as  to 
open  the  way  for  its  introduction. 

IV.       THE    SECRET-SOCIETY    QUESTION. 

The  secret-society  question  received  a  large  amount  of 
attention  during  the  period  from  1865  to  1885.  During  a 
large  part  of  this  time  it  became,  indeed,  the  dominating 
question  of  the  Church.  The  columns  of  the  Religious 
Telescope  teemed  with  articles  on  this  subject;  in  the 
successive  sessions  of  the  General  Conference  entire  days, 
sometimes  several  days,  were  given  to  its  discussion,  often 
in  heated  debate  ;  and  most,  perhaps  all,  of  the  annual 
conferences  at  each  yearly  session  passed  some  form  of 
resolutions,  either  supporting  the  legislation  of  the  General 
Conference,  or  advising  more  moderate  measures.  The 
tendency  was  steadily  toward  a  more  intense  radicalism, 
until  the  very  excesses  to  which  writing,  speaking,  legisla- 
tion, and  administration  were  carried  began  to  bring 
about  a  strong  reaction. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  fathers  of  the  Church  held 
a  sentiment  adverse  to  secret  societies,  or  rather  to  the 
Masonic  order,  the  one  society  best  known  to  them.  Bishop 
Otterbein,  like  Mr.  Wesley,  the  founder  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  many  other  leaders  of  Christian  thought  of 
that  day,  looked  with  disfavor  upon  this  order.  Bishop 
Boehm  was   born  and  brought  up  in  a  church  which,  Hke 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  331 

the  Society  of  Friends,  discountenanced  all  oaths,  includ- 
ing those  administered  in  the  courts,  and  was  therefore 
all  the  more  opposed  to  oaths  not  required  by  civil  law. 
The  followers  of  these  eminent  leaders  naturally  adopted 
their  views,  and  opposition  to  secret  societies  finally  found 
expression  in  the  Book  of  Discipline,  and  in  1841  in  the 
Constitution  then  adopted.  The  first  legislation  of  the 
Church  on  the  subject  was  in  1829,  at  a  time  when  the 
sentiment  of  the  country,  for  special  reasons,  was  widely 
and  very  strongly  aroused  against  the  Masonic  order.  The 
legislation  by  the  General  Conference  of  that  year  was 
specifically  against  Masonry.  This  was  sixteen  years  after 
the  death  of  Bishop  Otterbein,  and  while  his  personal 
sentiment  was  adverse  to  Masonry  he  never  framed  it  into 
a  rule  for  the  government  of  the  Church. 

In  the  year  1868  a  national  convention  of  men 
opposed  to  secret  societies  was  held  in  the  city  of 
Pittsburg.  Several  persons  prominently  connected  with 
the  United  Brethren  Church  were  present  as  members, 
and  participated  in  its  proceedings.  Among  the  steps 
taken  by  the  convention  was  that  of  recommending  the 
publication  of  a  weekly  periodical  which  should  be  espe- 
cially devoted  to  opposition  to  secret  societies.  This  paper 
found  a  considerable  circulation  among  the  people  of 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  and  aided  much  in  kin- 
dling the  spirit  of  intense  radicalism  which  subsequently 
found  so  strong  a  develojmient  in  the  Church.  On  the 
approach  of  the  General  Conference  of  1869,  it  advised 
the  United  Brethren  to  look  carefully  to  its  ofiicials 
connected  with  the  Publishing  House.  The  Religious 
Telescope  at  that  time  was  conducted  on  a  plane  of  mod- 
eration, but  in  firm  disapproval  of  secret  societies,  and 
in  support  of  the  position  held  by  the  Church.  But  its 
tone  was  not  sufficientlv  radical  to  meet  the  extreme  views 


332  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  some  on  the  question.  In  the  conference  of  1869  and 
in  several  succeeding  conferences  the  subject  was  made 
an  issue  in  the  election  of  some  of  the  general  officers — 
in  some  cases  successful,  in  others  not.  The  columns  of 
the  Religious  Telescope,  it  was  thought,  should  be  espe- 
cially guarded,  and  for  eight  years,  from  1869  to  1877, 
the  paper  was  placed  under  the  most  vigilant  radical 
supervision.  The  very  intensity  of  its  radicalism  began 
in  time  to  react  upon  itself,  and  many  earnest  supporters 
of  the  church  law  on  secrecy  desired  a  change  in  the 
control  of  the  paper,  and  a  new  editor,  of  more  moderate 
views,  was  chosen,  to  give  a  truer  expression  of  the  sen- 
timent of  the  Church. 

The  rule  in  the  Discipline  against  connection  with  secret 
societies  w^as  the  bone  of  contention,  the  radical  portion 
of  the  General  Conferences  seeking  from  time  to  time  to 
increase  its  severity,  wliile  the  liberals  sought  to  soften 
or  modify  its  provisions.  The  yeas  and  nays  on  the 
changes  proposed  in  the  successive  conferences  are  the 
best  index  of  the  gradually  changing  sentiment  as  it 
advanced  from  the  position  of  ultraism  to  a  more  liberal 
attitude.  In  the  conference  at  Westerville,  Ohio,  in  1861, 
the  vote  on  the  final  adoption  of  the  rule  as  then  amended 
stood  sixty-eight  yeas  to  five  nays,  one  of  these  being  after- 
ward changed  to  yea.  In  the  minutes  for  1865  the  yeas 
and  nays  are  not  recorded.  In  the  conference  at  Lebanon, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1869,  the  proportion  was  seventy-two  for 
adoption  to  twenty-five  against,  the  ratio  being  in  the 
first  instance  about  seventeen  to  one,  and  in  the  second 
not  quite  three  to  one.  The  main  vote  in  the  conference 
of  1873,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  after  the  Religious  Telescope  had 
been  for  four  years  under  radical  control,  was  eighty-two 
yeas  to  twenty-two  nays,  a  gain  to  the  radical  side,  and 
a  loss  to  the  liberal.     In  the  conference  of  1877  the  vote 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  333 

stood  seventy  to  thirty-one,  a  loss  to  the  radical  side  and 
a  gain  to  the  liberal.  In  1881  a  test  vote  stood  sixty -eight 
radical  to  fifty-seven  liberal,  and  in  1885  liberal  sentiment 
had  so  far  advanced  as  to  make  possible  the  steps  taken 
for  the  amendment  of  the  Constitution.  A  greatly  modi- 
fied rule  on  secret  societies,  proposed  by  the  liberals,  was 
adopted  by  a  vote  of  seventy-six  to  thirty-eight,  six  not 
voting,  and  the  measure  providing  for  the  appointment 
of  a  Commission  for  the  amendment  of  the  Constitution 
and  revision  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  was  carried  by 
the  decisive  majority  of  seventy-eight  in  favor  to  forty- 
two  against.  The  number  of  delegates,  with  the  bishops 
included,  was  one  hundred  and  twenty,  the  bishops  in 
each  instance  voting. 

v.       PERSONAL    NOTES. 

1,     Jonathan   Weaver,  D.D. 

The  General  Conference  never  made  a  wiser  selection  for 
the  office  of  bishop  than  it  did  at  its  session  of  1865,  when 
it  laid  upon  Jonathan  Weaver  this  high  responsibility. 
For  nearly  thirty -two  years  he  has  gone  in  and  out  before 
the  Church,  performing  for  it  service  in  all  its  various 
fields,  except  in  the  foreign  missionary  districts,  with  a 
degree  of  success  and  acceptability  not  surpassed  in  its 
history. 

Bishop  Weaver  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  on 
March  23,  1824,  and  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of 
twelve — six  sons  and  six  daughters.  His  educational 
advantages  were  limited,  being  such  as  were  found  in  the 
common  schools  of  that  day,  with  the  addition  of  attend- 
ance at  a  Presbyterian  academy,  or  high  school,  for  a  short 
period.  It  has  always  been  a  source  of  regret  to  him  that 
he  did  not  have  the  advantage  of  a  thorough  training  in 


334  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  schools.  But  at  that  time  the  Church  did  not  have 
any  denominational  schools,  and  the  ministers  of  his 
conference  mostly  were  not  in  favor  of  college-trained 
preachers.  So  he  entered  the  field  with  such  preparation 
as  he  had,  and  sought  by  reading  and  study  to  make  up 
in  part  what  he  lacked  at  the  beginning. 

His  religious  convictions  go  back  to  an  early  date.  His 
conversion  occurred  at  a  camp-meeting  in  the  summer 
of  1841,  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  At  nineteen 
he  was  chosen  a  class-leader,  and  at  twenty  was  given 
license  to  exhort.  With  this  license  he  was  pressed  to 
assist  on  a  circuit  for  a  time.  In  1847,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three,  he  joined  the  Muskingum  Conference,  and 
so  entered  upon  the  distinguished  career  which  awaited 
him.  His  first  charge,  in  the  region  bordering  upon  Lake 
Erie,  included  seventeen  appointments.  He  increased  this 
number  to  twenty-three  within  the  year,  and  had  about 
eighty  accessions  to  the  Church.  He  succeeded  well  as 
a  revivalist,  his  accessions  on  each  of  two  other  charges 
numbering  a  hundred  and  upward  within  a  year.  In 
1848  he  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Glossbrenner.  In  1851, 
after  four  years'  work  on  circuits,  he  was  chosen  presiding 
elder,  and  in  1857  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  at  Cincinnati. 

During  these  years  he  was  gradually  rising  in  popularity 
as  a  preacher.  This  fact,  added  to  his  urbane  and  winning 
manner,  led  the  trustees  of  Otterbein  University  to  seek 
his  services  as  a  soliciting  agent  for  that  institution.  His 
cordial  and  hearty  bearing,  with  his  eloquence  in  the 
pulpit,  won  for  him  a  welcome  wherever  he  went,  and 
he  served  in  this  relation  for  eight  years.  The  General 
Conference  of  1861,  at  Westerville,  Ohio,  elected  him 
bishop  for  the  Pacific  Coast.  He  declined  this  respon- 
sibility, preferring  to  remain  in  the  service  of  the  college. 


Jonathan  Weaver. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  335 

The  year  1865  brought  the  crisis  which  fixed  liis 
destiny  for  the  rest  of  his  Hfe.  The  General  Conference 
of  that  year  was  held  in  the  chapel  of  Western  College, 
then  located  at  Western,  Iowa.  An  editor  of  the  Religious 
Telescope  was  to  be  chosen,  and  his  friends  rallied  strongly 
to  his  support  for  the  position.  He  had  written  much 
for  its  columns,  always  in  a  pleasing  and  attractive  style. 
This,  added  to  his  wide  popularity  as  a  preacher,  and  the 
earnest  advocacy  of  his  supporters,  seemed  to  make  his 
election  a  foregone  conclusion  ;  but  when  the  ballots  were 
counted,  he  was  not  elected.  The  General  Conference 
then  did  a  much  wiser  thing,  when,  almost  immediately 
after,  it  elected  him  to  the  office  of  bishop.  What  he 
became  as  a  bishop  all  the  Church  knows. 

As  a  presiding  officer  over  the  General  or  annual  con- 
ferences he  has  been  eminently  successful.  His  knowledge 
of  parliamentary  law,  his  grasp  upon  conference  business 
through  all  its  entanglements,  his  clear  statement  of 
motions  or  of  decisions  of  questions  of  order,  his  perfect 
poise  when  the  floor  was  somewhat  stormy,  and  his  occa- 
sional playfulness  withal,  have  marked  him  as  one  of 
the  ablest  masters  of  assemblies. 

On  some  questions  of  church  polity  which  occasioned 
agitation,  he  long  ago  proved  himself  to  be  progressive 
by  giving  support,  cautious  for  a  time,  to  the  movements 
which  looked  toward  change.  On  the  attitude  of  the 
Church  toward  secret  societies,  he  became  early  a  semi- 
liberal,  and  as  he  saw  in  his  wide  experience  the  results 
of  extreme  legislation  he  gradually  came  to  favor  strongly 
the  adoption  of  more  moderate  measures,  and  finally  was 
ready  to  stand  in  the  front  rank  of  the  movement  which 
gave  to  the  Church  its  revised  Constitution.  In  the  prog- 
ress of  this  change  his  counsels,  as  in  all  other  things,  were 
moderate.     He  has  never  been  ready  to  support  sudden  or 


336  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

violent  measures,  but  has  rather  pursued  the  course  which 
seemed  to  promise  the  greater  safety. 

But  it  is  in  his  character  as  a  preacher  that  Bishop 
Weaver  has  won  in  greatest  degree  the  affections  of  the 
Church.  Here  his  style  is  easy,  clear,  luminous,  strong, 
often  gentle  and  tender,  frequently  rising  to  majesty.  It 
is  not  given  to  many  men  to  be  his  equals  in  the  pulpit. 
The  simplicity  of  his  style,  while  justly  challenging  the 
approbation  of  the  learned  and  wise,  wins  also  the  favor 
of  childhood.  Of  this  the  following  is  an  interesting  illus- 
tration :  Some  years  ago,  in  the  city  of  Dayton,  the  pulpit 
of  one  of  the  leading  Presbyterian  churches  w^as  vacant  for 
a  time,  and  the  bishop  was  engaged  to  fill  it  when  his 
duties  permitted.  An  officer  in  the  church  related  that  one 
Sunday  morning  at  the  breakfast  table  his  little  daughter, 
a  child  of  eight,  had  asked  him  who  was  going  to  preach 
that  day.  On  being  told  that  Bishop  Weaver  would  preach, 
she  exclaimed,  gleefully:  "Oh,  then  I  am  going  to  stay 
for  church.  I  like  to  hear  him  preach.  I  can  under- 
stand everything  he  says."  The  sermon  was  somewhat 
lengthy  that  day,  and  when  the  gentleman  had  returned 
home  he  asked  his  daughter  whether  she  did  not  get 
tired  with  the  bishop's  long  sermon.  She  replied,  "Oh, 
no,  papa,  the  sermon  was  not  at  all  long."  The  bishop 
on  that  day  was  in  one  of  his  best  moods,  and  the  length 
of  the  sermon  was  precisely  one  hour  and  thirteen  min- 
utes. It  would  be  difficult,  perhaps,  to  give  higher  praise 
to  a  sermon  than  such  a  tribute  by  a  little  child. 

Some  years  ago  the  bishop's  strength  began  to  be  broken 
through  long-continued  and  excessive  labors,  and  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1893  decided  to  release  him  from 
active  duties  except  such  as  he  might  feel  himself  able 
to  perform.  He  was  accordingly  elected  bishop  emeritus, 
in  which  relation  he  now  continues.     With  his  strens^th 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  337 

thus  weakened  he  has  been  aging  perhaps  somewhat  pre- 
maturely, and  presents  now  quite  a  venerable  appearance. 
His  tall  form,  equaling  in  height  that  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
whom  in  some  other  respects  he  has  been  thought  to 
resemble,  begins  to  be  slightly  bent,  and  his  heavy  wdiite 
locks  and  beard  betoken  rather  more  years  than  the 
calendar  measures.  But  he  is  serene  and  happy  in  spirit, 
happy  especially  over  the  prosperity  of  the  Church  for 
whose  welfare  he  has  toiled  so  long.  It  is  a  source  of  great 
comfort  to  him  that  the  Church  is  now  about  safely 
through  with  the  troublesome  conflict  of  the  recent  years, 
in  which  he  himself  was  called  to  take  so  large  a  part 
for  her  defense,  and  that  the  promise  of  a  bright  future 
now  everywhere  illumines  the  horizon. 

Bishop  Weaver  has  been  a  free  contributor  to  the 
literature  of  the  Church.  For  forty  years  he  has  written 
frequently  for  its  various  periodicals,  and  a  number  of 
books  and  pamphlets  have  appeared  from  his  j^en.  Among 
these  are  "Discourses  on  the  Resurrection,"  "Divine  Prov- 
idence," "Ministerial  Salary,"  "Universal  Restoration,"  and 
"A  Practical  Comment  on  the  Confession  of  Faith."  He 
is  also  the  editor  of  a  theological  work  entitled  "Christian 
Doctrine,"  a  symposium  contributed  to  by  thirty-seven 
writers  selected  by  himself. 

Bishop  Weaver's  home  for  a  number  of  years  past  has 
been  in  the  city  of  Dayton,  where  he  enjoys  the  high 
regard  of  the  people  of  all  denominations.  He  still  makes 
long  journeys  to  preside  over  such  annual  conferences  as 
are  allotted  to  him  in  the  sessions  of  the  episcopal  board, 
•and  preaches  frequently  in  Dayton  and  elsewhere  as  his 
strength  i)ermits.  He  abides  in  strong  hope  of  standing 
in  due  time  in  the  presence  of  the  Master  whom  he  has 
served  through  so  many  years. 

22 


338  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

2.     John  Dickson,  D.D. 

Through  a  period  of  twenty-four  years  the  name  of 
John  Dickson,  D.D.,  appeared  as  one  of  the  bishops  of  the 
Church,  his  service  commencing  in  ]\Iay,  1S69,  and  closing 
in  1893.  Bishop  Dickson  was  born  near  Chambersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  on  June  15,  1820.  His  father  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish,  and  his  mother  of  English,  ancestry.  The  family 
home  was  on  a  farm,  and  until  he  was  about  seventeen 
years  of  age  his  life  was  spent  in  the  usual  farm  employ- 
ments, with  a  short  term  at  the  common  school  during 
the  winter  season.  The  advantages  afforded  by  the  usual 
common  school  of  that  day  were  very  limited,  and  he 
acquired  later,  in  diligent  private  study,  the  close  and 
accurate  mental  training  wdiich  gave  character  to  his 
preaching  through  life.  He  entered  quite  early  upon  the 
profession  of  a  teacher,  and  taught  the  usual  winter  term, 
with  an  added  term  in  the  spring. 

His  conversion  occurred  in  November,  1843,  under  the 
ministry  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Smith,  then  a  young  man  beginning 
his  work,  but  afterward  rising  into  prominence  as  a  min- 
ister. He  was  soon  after  this  called  upon  to  open  meetings, 
and  not  long  afterward  the  license  to  exhort,  more  customary 
in  those  days  than  now,  was  given  him,  and  then  a  license 
to  preach.  His  conversion  took  place  in  the  "Old  Red 
School-house,"  some  eight  miles  southwest  from  Cham- 
bersburg, a  place  sometimes  called  the  "soul  factory,"  from 
the  frequency  of  the  revivals  which  took  place  there. 
He  took  his  first  charge  as  a  preacher  in  March,  1846,  at 
a  conference  in  Lancaster  County,  the  presiding  officer 
being  Bishop  Glossbrenner,  then  in  the  first  year  of  his 
service  as  bishop.  In  1847  he  joined  the  conference,  and 
three  years  later,  in  1850,  he  was  ordained  as  an  elder  by 
Bishop  Erb  at  a  session  of  the  conference  at  York. 

During  the  years  following,  up  to  May,  1869,  he  per- 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  339 

formed  diligently  the  duties  of  an  itinerant  minister,  being 
in  charge  of  circuits  or  stations,  or  in  the  office  of  presiding 
elder.  Meanwhile,  he  gave  much  attention  to  study  and 
writing,  becoming  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  columns  of 
the  Beligious  Telescope.  During  part  of  the  quadrennium 
from  1865  to  1869  he  was  one  of  several  editorial  contrib- 
utors to  the  paper.  So  well  recognized  w^ere  the  attainments 
he  had  made  that  his  name  was  at  one  time  proposed  for 
president  of  ]\lount  Pleasant  College,  before  the  consolida- 
tion of  that  institution  with  Otterbein  University.  He 
modestly  declined  this  honor,  and  urged  the  election  of 
Alexander  Owen.  His  counsel  was  wisely  followed.  Pre- 
vious to  the  first  appointment  of  John  Lawrence  as  editor 
of  the  Beligious  Telescope,  in  1850,  his  name  was  consid- 
ered by  the  trustees  of  the  Publishing  House  for  that 
position,  but  he  declined  to  be  a  candidate. 

The  General  Conference  of  1869,  held  at  Lebanon,  Penn- 
sylvania, not  far  from  his  own  home,  chose  him  for  the 
responsible  office  of  bishop,  and  reelections  followed  at  each 
conference  until  1893.  He  performed  the  duties  of  this 
trust  with  unflagging  diligence,  giving  attention  faithfully 
to  every  minute  detail.  As  a  presiding  officer,  whether 
over  the  General  Conference  or  the  annual  conferences, 
he  was  clear,  accurate,  and  strong,  so  that  the  progress 
of  business  was  always  safe  in  his  hands.  He  had  a  com- 
plete grasp  of  parliamentary  law,  and  kept  full  control 
over  the  intricacies,  especially  of  General  Conference  busi- 
ness, and  a  doubt  as  to  the  correctness  of  his  rulings  w^as 
rarely  suggested. 

As  a  preacher  Bishop  Dickson  has  always  been  recog- 
nized as  clear,  methodical,  and  strong,  possessing  less  of 
the  emotional  than  some,  never  attempting  rhetorical 
adornment  or  flights  of  eloquence,  but  always  instructive 
and  edifying.      During   his   service   as  a  pastor   frequent 


340  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

revivals,  some  of  them  of  considerable  extent,  occurred 
under  bis  ministrations. 

On  some  of  tbe  questions  whicb  agitated  tbe  Church 
during  many  years,  he  was  conservative,  and  for  a  long 
time  was  numbered  with  the  radical  party.  His  early 
training  had  taught  him  to  regard  the  attitude  of  the 
Church  as  wise  and  right,  and  he  was  slow  to  come  to 
any  material  change  of  sentiments.  He  doubted  the 
wisdom  of  the  appointing  of  the  Church  Commission  by 
the  General  Conference  of  1885,  and,  while  he  was  by 
virtue  of  his  office  as  bishop  a  member  of  it,  he  chose 
not  to  take  part  in  its  deliberations,  fearing  that  the  entire 
movement  would  result  in  harm  to  the  Church.  He  was 
thoroughly  conscientious  in  this,  and  frankly  stated  his 
position  in  a  letter  to  the  Commission.  He  was  in  no 
sympathy  with  those  who,  when  they  were  no  longer  able 
to  control,  began  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  disruption 
of  the  Church,  as  all  his  subsequent  course  demonstrated. 
When  the  final  crisis  came,  he  was  found  with  "Weaver 
and  Castle  and  Kephart,  and  with  all  who  adhered  loyally 
to  the  Church  ;  and  during  the  years  which  followed,  his 
pen  was  frequently  employed  in  clearing  up  doubts  which 
had  been  raised  in  the  minds  of  many  in  the  Church 
through  representations  designed  to  place  it  in  a  false 
position.  His  activity  in  this  respect  proved  of  great 
service  in  holding  to  the  Church  many  whom  it  was 
sought  to  mislead  by  alleging  that  the  Church  had  nul- 
lified its  own  Constitution,  cast  aside  its  Confession  of 
Faith,  and  adopted  other  instruments  in  their  stead. 

In  years  Bishop  Dickson  has  now  advanced  well  toward 
the  sunset,  being  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age, 
but  he  has  as  yet  suffered  little  abatement  of  strength. 
His  contributions  for  the  church  periodicals  are  clear  and 
vigorous  as  ever,  and  he  preaches  almost  constantly  with 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  841 

undiminished  acceptability.  He  resides  in  his  old  home 
in  Chambersburg  in  quiet  contentment,  the  wife  of  his 
youth  still  sitting  at  his  side,  and  abides  firm  in  the  faith 
of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  which  he  has  so  long  proclaimed. 

S.     Nicholas  Castle,  D.D. 

Twenty  years  ago  this  coming  May,  Bishop  Castle  was 
elected  to  a  seat  in  the  episcopal  board.  He  was  born  in 
Elkhart  County,  Indiana,  on  October  4, 1837,  and  is  now  in 
the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.  His  early  life  was  passed  in 
poverty  as  to  worldly  circumstances.  His  father  died  when 
he  was  about  two  years  old,  and  his  mother,  gentle,  deli- 
cate, toiling  to  rear  her  orphan  family,  long  an  invalid,  was 
released  from  suffering  when  he  was  but  tliirteen.  He  in- 
herited a  frail  constitution,  and  was  a  delicate  child,  and 
nobody  needed  a  boy  who  was  not  rugged  enough  to 
perform  substantial  labor  on  the  farm.  He  drifted  awhile, 
until  at  fifteen  he  found  a  home,  in  which  he  remained 
until  he  attained  his  majority,  and,  indeed,  until  he  entered 
upon  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Three  months  of  attend- 
ance at  school  each  year  was  one  of  the  conditions  of  his 
stay  with  this  farmer,  and  the  terms  of  the  contract  were 
carefully  kept.  But  so  defective  was  the  system  of  teaching 
in  those  days  in  the  newer  parts  of  the  country  that  the 
advantages  secured  were  comparatively  meager. 

His  conversion  was  attended  with  marked  power,  so  as 
to  leave  the  question  of  a  true  religious  experience  per- 
manently settled  in  his  mind.  His  call  to  the  ministry 
followed  soon  after,  expressing  itself  to  his  own  mind  and 
to  the  minds  of  others  in  the  conviction  that  God  intended 
him  for  the  sacred  office.  With  the  greatest  timidity  and 
fear  he  began,  at  the  urgency  of  his  friends,  to  speak  in 
public,  and  when  the  annual  session  of  the  St.  Josepli 
Conference    was    approaching    he    arranged    to    attend    it. 


342  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  opening  day  of  the  session,  September  23,  1858, 
found  him  present  as  an  applicant  for  license  to 
preach.  The  conference  was  held  at  Warsaw,  Indiana, 
and  Bishop  L.  Davis  presided.  To  his  surprise, — for  it 
was  more  than  he  had  allowed  himself  to  expect, — the 
conference  accepted  him,  and  he  was  assigned  to  the 
Warsaw  Circuit,  a  field  with  twenty-four  appointments, 
all  of  which  must  be  met  every  four  weeks.  He  was 
ordained  by  Bishop  Markwood  on  October  14,  1861.  For 
a  little  over  eighteen  years,  until  May,  1877,  he  served 
in  various  relations  the  St.  Joseph  Conference,  a  portion 
of  the  time  as  presiding  elder. 

The  General  Conference  of  May,  1877,  held  in  Westfield, 
Illinois,  brought  him  new  and  most  unexpected  duties  in 
the  Church.  The  death  of  Bishop  David  Edwards  had 
left  an  important  vacancy  to  be  filled,  and  the  General 
Conference  had  decided  to  strengthen  the  episcopal  service, 
so  that  there  were  two  bishops  to  be  elected.  Mr.  Castle 
was  one  of  those  who  were  chosen.  The  announcement 
of  the  choice  came  upon  him  with  overwhelming  power, 
and  his  sense  of  unfitness  for  the  high  responsibilities 
involved  led  him  to  so  far  shrink  from  accepting  the 
office  that  he  well-nigh  determined  upon  a  resignation. 
If  any  accusation  of  seeking  for  office  could  ever  be  laid 
justly  against  any  one,  such  could  never  be  said  of  Bishop 
Castle.  He  finally,  after  much  fervent  prayer,  decided  to 
submit  to  what  seemed  to  be  an  expression  of  the  Divine 
will.  "I  do  not  know  what  it  means,"  he  said,  "but  God 
shall  be  his  own  interpreter."  The  committee  to  station 
the  bishops  assigned  him  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  This  field 
was  an  exceedingly  difficult  one  to  serve,  owing  to  the 
long  distances  that  must  be  traveled,  many  of  the  journeys 
lying  across  almost  pathless  mountains,  and  being  beset  with 
a  variety  of  perils.     For  eight  years  Bishop  Castle  served 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  343 

on  the  Coast  District,  gaining  an  experience,  though  at 
hard  cost,  which  has  proved  valuable  to  him  ever  since. 
It  was  during  this  period  that  he  was  called  to  part  with 
his  first  wife,  a  lady  of  the  noblest  type  of  beautiful 
Christian  womanhood,  who  had  faithfully  shared  his 
toils  since  the  second  year  of  his  work  in  the  ministry. 
Since  1885  his  residence  has  been  at  Elkhart,  Indiana, 
near  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  his  service  has  been  at 
large  throughout  the  Church  upon  the  plan  of  episcopal 
visitation  adopted  by  the  General  Conference  of  that  year. 
As  a  presiding  officer  over  the  General  and  annual 
conferences  Bishop  Castle  takes  high  rank  with  his  breth- 
ren of  the  board  of  superintendents.  As  a  preacher  he 
impresses  his  hearers  with  the  depth  of  his  sincerity  and 
the  thoroughness  of  his  own  experience.  His  imagination 
is  warm  and  vivid,  so  that  descriptive  passages  in  his 
sermons  often  take  on  a  poetic  cast,  and  his  utterance 
frequently  rises  into  the  truest  eloquence.  His  extreme 
sensitiveness  and  timidity,  which  he  even  now  finds  it 
often  difficult  to  hold  in  abeyance,  usually  disappear  as 
his  sermon  advances,  and  he  becomes  a  master  of  the 
best  forms  of  speech.  In  the  pulpit  and  everywhere  else 
he  makes  the  impression  of  one  devoutly  sincere  as  a 
Christian,  and  as  holding  daily  communion  with  God. 
His  health  is  often  delicate,  yet  God  has  enabled  him  to 
render  a  very  large  amount  of  service  to  the  Church. 

4.     Milton   Wright,  D.D. 

Ex-Bishop  Milton  Wright  was  born  on  November  17, 
1828,  in  Rush  County,  Indiana.  He  dates  his  conversion 
in  1843,  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  White  River  Con- 
ference in  1853.  He  spent  a  busy  life  in  the  itinerant 
work  prior  to  his  being  called  into  official  service.  A  })art 
of  this  time  he  was  employed  as  a  missionary  in  Oregon. 


344  THE  UNITED  BRETHBEN  IN  CHRIST 

The  rest  was  chiefly  given  to  the  White  River  Conference, 
in  the  various  relations  of  circuit  preacher,  stationed  pastor, 
or  presiding  elder.  He  was  in  all  these  duties  a  faithful  and 
conscientious  worker,  avoiding  no  hardships  that  might  be 
in  store  for  the  itinerant  in  the  home  fields,  or  for  the  mis- 
sionary on  the  frontier.     A  short  time  was  spent  in  teaching. 

He  began  early  to  give  attention  to  the  anti-secret-society 
movement,  attending  the  convention  of  the  national  asso- 
ciation opposed  to  secret  orders  at  Pittsburg,  in  1868,  and 
other  conventions  of  the  same  organization  in  subsequent 
years.  His  strong  convictions  on  this  subject,  and  the 
active  interest  taken  in  opposing  secret  societies,  led  to 
his  election  as  editor  of  the  Beligious  Telescope  by  the 
General  Conference  of  1869,  the  first  conference  in  which 
this  question  was  made  an  issue  in  an  election.  He  was 
reelected  in  1873,  with  Rev.  W.  0.  Tobey,  a  man  of  very 
pronounced  convictions  on  the  same  subject,  as  joint 
editor.  During  the  eight  years  of  his  incumbency  the 
columns  of  the  Religious   Telescope  were  intensely  radical. 

In  1877  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop.  The 
radicals  were  at  that  time  so  greatly  in  the  majority  that 
they  could  easily  elect  any  one  whom  they  chose.  There 
was,  nevertheless,  a  considerable  number  of  delegates  who, 
while  firmly  opposed  to  secret  orders,  and  supporting  the 
prohibitive  measures  adopted  from  time  to  time  by  the 
General  Conference,  desired  a  somewhat  milder  adminis- 
tration in  the  Religious  Telescope.  The  choice  of  editor 
did  not  lie  between  the  radicals  and  liberals,  but  between 
the  radical  candidates.  Rev.  J.  W.  Hott,  now  Bishop 
Hott,  who  at  that  time  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  mod- 
erate views,  was  chosen.  Bishop  Wright  served  four  years 
on  the  West  Mississippi  District,  and  at  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1881  was  not  reelected.  In  1885  he  was  again 
elected,  for  the  Pacific  Coast  District. 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  345 

The  conference  of  1885  having  taken  the  initiatory 
measures  for  amending  the  Constitution  of  the  Church 
and  for  the  revision  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  Bishop 
Wright  opposed  the  action,  with  all  the  steps  necessarily 
following,  exerting  against  it  all  the  influence  of  his  official 
position,  and  preparing,  with  others,  the  way  for  the 
secession  which  followed  at  the  conference  of  1889.  At 
this  conference  his  connection  with  the  Church  ceased. 
All  his  previous  career  marks  him  as  a  laborious,  earnest, 
and  plodding  worker,  faithful  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
Church  as  he  conceived  them  to  be.  He  was  drawn  into 
a  false  position,  and  finally  to  a  most  unfortunate  step, 
by  an  excessive  devotion  to  a  single  principle  and  a  type 
of  church  policy  which  the  great  body  of  the  Church 
had  come  to  regard  as  untenable. 

5.     Ezekiel  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  men  who  have  been  called  to  the  office  of  bishop 
in  the  United  Brethren  Church  have,  wdth  few  exceptions, 
been  born  in  humble  circumstances,  and  their  earlier  lives 
have  been  marked  by  hard  struggle  against  adverse 
conditions.  Among  the  recent  bishops,  and  those  now 
living,  a  number  have  risen  to  high  distinction  as 
preachers  and  parliamentarians.  Their  work  in  the  pulpit 
and  as  presidents  of  assemblies  has  awakened,  and  has 
fully  merited,  the  highest  admiration.  But  all  their  suc- 
cess has  been  achieved  through  unflagging  industry,  joined 
to  a  strong  faith  in  God,  who  directs  the  destinies  of  men. 
To  these  conditions  Bishop  Kephart  is  not  an  exception. 

The  bishop  was  born  in  Clearfield  County,  Pennsylvania, 
on  November  6,  1834.  His  father  was  of  Swiss  origin, 
with  a  mixture  of  English,  while  his  mother  was  partly 
of  Dutch  descent.  The  parents  were  members  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  the  father  a  minister.     The 


346  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

home  was  a  very  humble  one,  situated  ou  the  western 
slope  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  The  spirit  of  true 
piety  ruled  in  the  home,  the  parents  joining  together  in 
the  effort  to  bring  up  their  children  in  the  fear  of  God. 
The  place  was  frequently  visited  by  other  ministers,  and 
protracted  meetings  w^ere  sometimes  held  there.  In  this 
home  were  brought  up  three  sons  who  have  gained  dis- 
tinction in  circles  wider  than  the  denomination  which  they 
serve,  one  of  them,  Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart,  being  editor  of  the 
Religious  Telescope,  and  another.  Dr.  C.  J.  Kephart,  being 
general  secretary  for  the  State  Sunday-school  work  of 
Pennsylvania.  All  of  the  three  have  served  as  college 
presidents. 

Bishop  Kephart's  early  educational  opportunities  were 
limited.  But  when,  after  his  conversion,  which  occurred 
at  the  age  of  seventeen,  his  impulses  began  to  draw  him 
toward  the  Christian  ministry,  he  resolved  that  he  would 
seek  an  education.  After  spending  a  short  time  in  a 
seminary,  he  entered  Mount  Pleasant  College,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three.  When  that  institution  was  merged  into 
Otterbein  University,  he,  with  many  of  the  rest  of  the 
students,  followed  its  destinies  to  that  college.  Here  he 
graduated  first  in  the  scientific  and  afterw^ard  in  the 
classical  course,  after  unavoidable  interruptions  growing 
out  of  financial  circumstances.  In  1868  he  was  elected 
president  of  Western  College.  He  accepted  the  position, 
and  remained  as  head  of  the  college  for  a  period  of 
thirteen  years,  until  the  General  Conference  called  for 
his  service  in  a  higher  realm.  As  the  head  of  the  college 
he  at  once  set  about  elevating  its  character,  both  as  to 
the  work  done  by  the  classes  and  in  discipline.  In  this 
he  met  with  success,  giving  to  the  institution  a  higher 
tone  generally  than  it  had  ever  possessed  before.  He  was 
strongly  impressed  with  the   unfortunate  location  of  the 


THE  GENERAL  CONFERENCES  OF  1865-1881  347 

college,  and  was  instrumental,  with  others,  in  effecting  its 
removal  to  its  present  excellent  place.  His  success  in 
connection  with  the  college  attracted  the  favorable  attention 
of  the  General  Conference  held  at  Lisbon,  Iowa,  in  1881, 
and  he  was  called  to  the  higher  service  of  the  episcopal 
office.  Since  then  he  has  been  three  times  reelected,  so 
that  he  is  now  in  his  sixteenth  year  in  that  office. 

As  a  college  president  and  teacher  Bishop  Kephart 
exhibited  many  of  the  foremost  qualities.  His  own  edu- 
cational course  was  achieved  under  many  difficulties,  and 
he  could  enter  into  ready  sympathy  with  students  who 
were  struggling  against  adverse  circumstances.  In  teach- 
ing he  was  generous  in  his  attitude  toward  students, 
leading  them  on  to  investigation  for  themselves  by 
throwing  a  genial  glow  over  their  work.  As  a  ruler 
over  the  college,  in  the  administration  of  necessary  disci- 
pline, he  was  kind  and  considerate,  but  inflexible. 

As  a  bishop  he  has  achieved  an  enviable  s.uccess.  He 
presides  over  the  conferences.  General  and  annual,  with 
dignified  ease,  keeping  the  progress  of  business  well  in 
hand,  without  liability  to  confusion.  He  possesses  a  clear 
grasp  of  parliamentary  law,  makes  his  decisions  firmly, 
and  business  proceeds  easily  under  his  direction.  The 
kind  geniality  of  his  nature  finds  frequent  expression,  and 
a  conference  is  little  liable,  even  when  exciting  or  irritating 
questions  are  under  consideration,  to  drift  away  from  a 
spirit  of  pleasant  humor.  As  a  member  of  the  episcopal 
board  he  is  a  wise  and  safe  counselor,  bearing  his  full  part 
in  deciding  the  delicate  and  difficult  questions  that  some- 
times come  before  the  board.  The  first  draft  of  the 
bishops'  quadrennial  address  before  the  General  Conference 
of  1885,  in  which  questions  affecting  most  vitally  the 
future  of  the  Church  were  considered,  it  is  understood  was 
prepared  by  him.     Some  features  of  this  address,  from  the 


348  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

nature  of  the  subjects  to  which  they  relate,  must  acquire 
a  permanent  historic  character. 

Bishop  Kephart,  as  a  capable,  broad-minded,  large- 
hearted,  genial  Christian  gentleman,  with  little  of  2:>rivate 
interests  to  serve,  but  keeping  the  best  interests  of  the 
Church  steadily  in  view,  is  greatly  esteemed  in  the 
responsible  station  to  which  he  has  been  called. 


Sixth  Period— i885-i897 

CHAPTER  XIX 
THE  NINETEENTH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  — 1885 

I.       THE    REVISION    MOVEMENT. 

The  period  from  1885  to  1889  marks  an  era  of  the 
highest  importance  in  the  progressive  history  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church.  The  general  tendency  of  the  Church 
had  long  been  in  the  direction  of  a  broader  life.  There 
was  a  growing  feeling  that  excellent  as  were  the  things 
of  the  past,  they  were  in  some  respects  cast  in  a  narrower 
mold  than  the  exigencies  of  advancing  time  required,  just 
as  the  old  divinely  appointed  Jewish  polity,  and  the  church 
which  was  established  under  it,  needed  in  time  to  enter 
into  broader  forms  and  a  freer  life.  From  the  beginning 
the  law-making  power  of  the  Church  was  exercised  by 
the  ministers  only,  and  when  a  General  Conference  was 
proposed  the  plans  by  which  it  was  to  be  constituted 
provided  for  the  election  of  ministers  only.  When  the 
conference  assembled,  provision  was  made  for  the  election 
of  ministers  only  to  future  General  Conferences.  And 
when,  at  a  later  time,  a  General  Conference  took  it  upon 
itself  to  make  a  constitution,  the  same  feature  was  fixed 
in  the  fundamental  law  of  the  Church.  For  a  number 
of  years  scarcely  a  question  was  raised  as  to  the  propriety 
of  withholding  from  the  laity  all  part  in  the  law-making 
department  of  the  Church.  The  time  had  now  come  when 
a  large  majority  of  the  ministers  and  the  great  body  of 
the  laity  favored   the  sharing  of  this    function  with   the 

349 


350  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

laity.  In  another  particular  the  Constitution  of  the  Clmrch 
embodied  a  feature,  relating  to  secret  societies,  which,  it  was 
felt,  should  be  transferred  to  the  field  of  legislation,  to  be 
dealt  with  by  the  General  Conference  according  to  its  judg- 
ment, as  other  subjects  from  time  to  time  are  dealt  with. 

It  was  also  felt  that  some  essentials  of  Christian  belief 
which  found,  in  various  forms,  expression  in  the  body 
of  the  Church  Discipline  should  be  transferred  to  their 
proper  position  in  the  Confession  of  Faith,  while  it  seemed 
desirable  also  that  certain  other  doctrines  already  in  the 
Confession  should  be  partially  recast,  so  as  to  find  a  clearer 
and  surer  expression.  There  was  no  disposition  to  treat 
irreverently  this  excellent  utterance  of  the  fathers,  a  sym- 
bol, indeed,  quite  worthy  of  a  place  among  the  noblest 
creeds  of  Christendom.  But  it  was  also  remembered,  that 
these  good  men  who  framed  the  instrument  laid  no  claims 
to  a  divine  inspiration  in  their  work  ;  that  they  exercised 
for  themselves  the  power  and  right  of  selection,  embody- 
ing in  its  statements  their  conceptions  of  fundamental 
religious  truth  ;  and  that  the  Church  of  the  present  time 
possesses  the  same  right  to  exercise  its  judgment  and  to 
give  to  that  judgment  its  proper  expression,  just  as  the 
Church  of  the  future  will  be  entitled  to  think  for  itself 
and  embody  its  thought  in  such  forms  as,  in  its  aggregate 
judgment,  may  seem  to  be  the  expression  of  fixed  truth. 
The  exercise  of  this  right  is  in  no  way  inconsistent  with 
the  profoundest  reverence  and  love  for  those  who  have 
gone  before. 

Before  the  assembling  of  the  General  Conference  of 
1885  it  became  apparent,  through  public  and  private 
discussion,  that  the  question  of  amending  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  Church  and  of  revising  the  Confession  of 
Faith  would  come  before  that  body  for  consideration, 
and  much  interest  was  felt  in  advance  as  to  the  manner 


THE  NINETEENTH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1885    351 

in  which  it  would  be  met  by  the  conference.  The 
way  for  disposition  of  the  question  relating  to  the  amend- 
ment of  the  Constitution  w^as  fairly  opened  in  the  bishops' 
quadrennial  address.  In  this  address  it  w^as  treated  with 
special  reference  to  the  section  in  the  Constitution  relat- 
ing to  secret  societies.     The  bishops  said  : 

We  need  uot  say  to  your  honorable  body  that  the  subject  of  secret 
societies  has  become  a  most  perplexing  one  to  our  Zion.  This  is  well 
known  to  you  all.  Also,  it  is  expected  of  you  by  the  people  whom 
you  represent  that  under  the  blessing  of  God  you  will  put  this  sub- 
ject to  rest  and  bring  peace  to  the  Church  by  wise  regulations.  To 
this  end  we  recommend: 

First.  In  that  it  is  admitted  that  our  present  Constitution  has 
not  been  as  yet  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the  whole  society,  you  deter- 
mine whether  the  whole  subject  under  consideration  is  or  is  not  yet 
in  the  hands  of  the  General  Conference. 

Second.  Should  you  determine  that  it  is  in  your  hands,  then 
transfer  the  whole  subject  from  the  realm  of  constitutional  law  to 
the  field  of  legislative  enactment,  which  would  be  to  expunge  the 
whole  question  from  the  Constitution  and  bring  it  into  the  field 
of  legislative  enactment,  to  be  handled  as  the  Church,  through  her 
representatives,  may  determine  from  time  to  time. 

Third.  That  you  limit  the  prohibitory  feature  of  your  enactment 
to  combinations,  secret  and  open,  to  w^hich  the  Church  believes  a 
Christian  cannot  belong. 

Fourth.  Should  you  decide  that  this  constitutional  question  is 
beyond  your  control,  and  in  the  hands  of  the  whole  society,  then 
submit  the  above  proj^ositions,  i3roperly  formulated,  to  a  vote  of 
the  whole  Church,  and  let  a  two-thirds  vote  of  those  voting  be  the 
authoritative  voice  of  the  Church  on  the  subject. 

This  portion  of  the  bishops'  address  was  referred  to  the 
Committee  on  Eevision.  The  committee  consisted  of  the 
following  persons  :  S.  M.  Hippard,  I.  K.  Statton,  J.  W. 
Hott,  J.  G.  Mosher,  J.  H.  Snyder,  W.  J.  Shuey,  George 
Miller,  William  Dillon,  W.  H.  Price,  L.  Bookwalter,  George 
Plowman,  J.  W.  Fulkerson,  C.  U.  McKee.  To  this  com- 
mittee w^ere  also  referred,  in  general,  the  Confession  of 
Faith,  the  Constitution,  and  the  rule  of  the  Discipline 
relating  to  secret  societies. 


352  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

To  this  committee  was  entrusted  a  responsibility  immeas- 
urably greater  and  more  far-reaching  in  its  significance 
than  could  be  laid  upon  any  other.  They  took  ample 
time  for  deliberation,  meeting  again  and  again  in  session 
to  consider  the  questions  involved  and  the  steps  that 
should  be  recommended.  Among  the  members  of  the 
conference  generally  the  deepest  interest  was  felt  in  the 
report  which  the  committee  might  return.  On  the  sixth 
day  of  the  session  they  presented  their  report. 

The  Report  Authorizing  the  Church  Commission. 

To  the  General  Conference: 

Your  committee  to  which  were  referred  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
Constitution,  and  Section  3  of  Chapter  X.  of  the  DiscipUne,  beg 
leave  to  report  that  we  have  given  these  subjects  much  and  most 
prayerful  attention,  and  now  submit  the  result  of  our  deliberations  : 

First.  We  find  that  the  present  Constitution  of  the  Church  was 
never  submitted  to  the  suffrage  of  the  members  and  ministry  of  the 
Church  for  ratification  either  by  popular  vote  or  by  conventional 
approval,  though  it  purports  to  be  the  Constitution  of  the  "mem- 
bers" of  the  denomination. 

Second.  We  find,  hy  reference  to  the  records,  that  throughout 
most  of  its  historj'  it  has  been  the  subject  of  question  and  differences 
of  opinion  as  to  its  legality  and  binding  force  as  an  organic  law. 

Third.  We  find  also  that  the  clause  found  in  Article  II.,  Section 
4,  which  says,  "No  rule  or  ordinance  shall  at  any  time  be  passed  to 
change  or  do  away  the  Conefssion  of  Faith  as  it  now  stands," 
and  Article  IV.,  which  says,  "There  shall  be  no  alteration  of  the 
foregoing  Constitution  unless  by  request  of  two-thirds  of  the  whole 
society,"  are  in  their  language  and  apparent  meaning  so  far-reaching 
as  to  render  them  extraordinary  and  impracticable  as  articles  of 
constitutional  law. 

Fourth.  From  the  fticts  and  reasons  thus  indicated  we  conclude 
that  the  Constitution  has  acquired  its  force  oulj-  by  the  partial  and 
silent  assent  of  the  Church,  and  that  the  General  Conference  has 
a  right  to  institute  measures  looking  to  the  amendment,  modifica- 
tion, or  change  of  the  Constitution  at  any  time  when  it  is  believed 
that  a  majority  of  our  people  favor  a  modification  thereof. 

Fifth.  It  is  the  sense  and  belief  of  your  committee  that  the 
Constitution,  as  it  stands,  is  not  in  liarmony  with  the  present  wishes 


THE  NINETEENTH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1885    353 

of  our  people,  as  has  been  indicated  in  discussions,  petitions,  and 
elections  during  the  past  year. 

Sixth.  For  these  reasons,  and  for  the  purpose  of  finally  settling 
all  questions  of  dispute  and  matters  of  disturbance  to  the  peace  and 
harmony  of  the  Church,  so  far  as  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the 
Constitution  are  concerned,  your  committee  would  recommend  the 
adoption  of  the  following  paper,  namely: 

CHURCH   COMMISSION. 

Whereas,  Our  Confession  of  Faith  is  silent  or  ambiguous  upon 
some  of  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  the  Bible  as  held  and  believed  by 
our  Church;  and. 

Whereas,  It  is  desirable  and  needful  to  so  amend  and  improve 
our  present  Constitution  as  to  adapt  its  provisions  more  fully  to  the 
wants  and  conditions  of  the  Church  in  this  and  future  time; 
therefore. 

Resolved,  By  the  delegates  of  the  annual  conferences  of  the 
Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  in  General  Conference 
assembled,  that  a  Church  Commission,  composed  of  twenty-seven 
persons,  and  consisting  of  the  bishops  of  the  Church,  and  ministers 
and  laymen  appointed  and  elected  by  this  body,  an  equal  number 
from  each  bishop's  district, —  provided  that  the  Pacific  District  shall 
have  two  members  besides  its  bishop,— be  and  is  hereby  authorized 
and  established. 

The  duties  and  powers  of  this  Commission  shall  be  to  consider  our 
present  Confession  of  Faith  and  Constitution,  and  prepare  such  a  form 
of  belief  and  such  amended  fundamental  rules  for  the  government 
of  this  Church  in  the  future  as  will,  in  their  judgment,  be  best 
adapted  to  secure  its  growth  and  efficiency  in  the  work  of  evangeliz- 
ing the  world. 

Provided,  1.  That  this  Commission  shall  preserve  unchanged  in 
substance  the  present  Confession  of  Faith  so  far  as  it  is  clear. 

2.  That  it  shall  also  retain  the  present  itinerant  plan. 

3.  It  shall  keep  sacred  the  general  usages  and  distinctive  prin- 
ciples of  the  Church  on  all  great  moral  reforms  as  sustained  by  the 
Word  of  God,  in  so  far  as  the  province  of  their  work  may  touch  them. 

Provided,  further.  That  in  the  final  adoption,  as  a  whole,  of  a 
confession  of  faith  and  constitution  for  submission  to  the  Church 
by  the  Commission,  a  majority  vote  of  all  the  members  composing 
the  Commission  shall  be  necessary. 

Resolved,  That  this  Commission  shall  meet  at  such  time  and  place 
as  the  Board  of  Bishops  may  appoint,  and  is  expected  to  complete 
its  work  by  January  1,  18SG. 

The  Commission  shall  also  adopt  and  cause  to  be  executed  a  plan 
by  which  the  proposed  Confession  of  Faith  and  Constitution  may 
receive  the  largest  possible  attention  and  expression  of  approval  or 
disapproval  by  our  people,  including  all  necessary  regulations  for 
taking,  counting,  and  reporting  the  vote. 

Resolved,  That  when,  according  to  the  foregoing  provisions,  the 
result  of  the  vote  of  the  Church  shows  that  two-thirds  of  all  the 
votes  cast  have  been  given  in  approval  of  the  proposed  Confession 
of  Faith  and  Constitution,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  bishops  to 
publish  and  proclaim  said  result  through  the  official  organs  of  the 

23 


354  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Church.  Whereupon  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Constitution  thus 
ratified  and  adopted  shall  become  the  fundamental  belief  and  organic 
law  of  this  Church. 

Ri'ovided,  further,  That  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  as  afore- 
said shall  in  no  wise  affect  any  legislation  of  this  General  Conference 
for  the  coming  quadrennium. 

Resolved^  That  in  case  of  any  vacancy  in  the  Commission,  by 
death,  resignation,  or  otherwise,  the  Commission  shall  fill  such 
vacancy. 

The  necessary  expenses  of  this  Commission  shall  be  paid  out  of 
the  funds  of  the  Printing  Establishment. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

S.  M.  HiPPARD,   Chairman.  I.  K.  Statton. 

L.  BooKW ALTER,  /Secretary.  J.  H.  Snyder. 

W.  J.  Shuey.  Geo.  Plowman. 

J.  W.  HoTT.  Geo.  Miller. 

W.  H.  Price.  C.  U.  McKee. 

J.   W.   FULKERSON. 

This  paper  was  signed  by  eleven  out  of  the  thirteen 
members  of  the  Committee  on  Revision.  Two  of  the 
members,  J.  G.  Mosher  and  WilHam  Dillon,  dissented,  and 
laid  before  the  conference  a  minority  report. 

Upon  a  motion  being  made  to  adopt  the  majority 
report,  an  extended  and  exhaustive  discussion  followed. 
For  the  greater  part  of  two  days  the  speaking  continued, 
often  with  the  warmth  of  men  who  were  contending 
earnestly  for  their  convictions.  In  the  main,  the  propri- 
eties of  dignified  discussion  were  well  maintained.  In 
itself,  the  struggle  was  a  momentous  one,  and  was  so 
felt  to  be  by  every  member  of  the  conference.  The 
liberals,  as  the  progressive  portion  of  the  conference  and 
of  the  Church  generally  had  come  to  be  called,  saw  in 
the  adoption  of  the  report  a  prospect  for  an  escape  from 
the  extreme  radicalism  w^hich  had  so  long  dominated 
legislation,  and  the  hope  of  a  broader  and  freer  life  for 
the  Church.  The  radicals  saw  in  its  adoption  the  doom 
of  principles  upon  which  many  of  them  laid  a  larger 
insistence  than  upon  any  other  feature  of  the  church 
life.     Each  side,  therefore,  exerted  itself  to  the  very  best 


THE  NINETEENTH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1885    855 

of  its  ability  to  secure  a  majority  in  the  final  vote.  It 
was  a  profoundly  interesting  hour  when  the  roll  was  at 
last  called  for  the  yeas  and  nays.  Many  of  the  members 
seized  a  moment's  opportunity  for  explaining  their  votes, 
some  of  them  making  a  hurried  final  plea.  The  call 
being  finished,  the  presiding  bishop  announced  the  result 
to  be  the  decisive  majority  of  seventy-eight  yeas  to  forty-two 
nays.  And  thus  was  enacted  one  of  the  most  important 
measures,  as  affecting  vitally  the  future  polity  and  life 
of  the  Church,  known  to  the  history  of  General  Conference 
legislation. 

It  should  be  remarked  that  by  no  means  all  who  here 
voted  nay  were  in  sympathy  with  the  extreme  radicalism 
which  soon  after  began  to  prepare  for  rending  asunder  the 
Church.  The  votes  of  some  were  thus  cast  in  the  sincere 
belief  that  the  movement  was  premature  and  w^ould  mili- 
tate against  the  peace  and  harmony  of  the  Church.  A 
number  of  those  who  here  voted  with  the  minority  stand 
to-day  in  their  places  in  the  Church,  satisfied  with  the 
results  which  have  followed. 

II.       THE    RULE    ON    SECRET   SOCIETIES. 

The  committee  having  in  charge  the  question  of  amend- 
ing the  Constitution  and  revising  the  Confession  of  Faith 
was  also  instructed  to  report  on  the  law  relating  to  secret 
orders.  This  committee  presented  a  supplementary  report, 
which,  with  a  few  amendments,  was  adopted  in  the  fol- 
lowing form  : 

We  recommend  that  the  following  law  in  relation  to  secret 
combinations  be  adopted  to  take  the  place  of  Section  3,  Chapter  X., 
of  Discipline: 

SECRET  COMBINATIONS. 

A  secret  combination,  in  the  sense  of  the  Constitution,  is  a  secret 
league  or  confederation  of  persons  holding  principles  and  laws  at 
variance  with  the  Word  of  God,  and  injurious  to  Christian  character 


356  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

as  evinced  in  individual  life,  and  infringing  upon  tlie  natural,  social, 
political,  or  religious  rights  of  those  outside  its  pale. 

Any  member  or  minister  of  our  Church  found  in  connection  with 
such  combination  shall  be  dealt  with  as  in  other  cases  of  dis- 
obedience to  the  order  and  discipline  of  the  Church, —  in  case  of 
members,  as  found  on  page  23  of  Discipline  in  answer  to  the  third 
question  of  Section  3,  Chapter  IV.,  and  in  case  of  ministers,  as 
found  in  Chapter  VI.,  Section  13,  page  65. 

The  introduction  of  this  report,  a  milder  expression  of 
the  law  against  secret  societies,  was  the  occasion  of  another 
animated  discussion.  The  speaking  was  less  protracted, 
because  the  vote  previously  taken  indicated  in  advance 
that  ultra-radicalism  had  lost  its  ascendency,  and  that 
prolonged  opposition  to  more  moderate  legislation  would 
be  useless.  When  the  report  was  put  upon  its  passage, 
the  vote  was  found  to  be  nearly  the  same  in  number  on 
the  two  sides  respectively  as  that  which  authorized  the 
Church  Commission.  There  were  seventy-six  yeas  to 
thirty-eight  nays,  with  six  not  voting. 

III.       THE    CHURCH    COMMISSION    CHOSEN. 

On  the  twelfth  day  of  the  session  the  General  Conference 
elected  the  members  of  the  Church  Commission,  as  pro- 
vided for  in  the  paper  authorizing  its  appointment. 
According  to  this  paper  the  bishops  of  each  of  the  five 
episcopal  districts  were  made  ex  officio  members,  and  each 
of  the  districts  was  entitled  to  five  representatives,  either 
ministerial  or  lay,  except  the  Pacific  Coast  District,  which 
was  entitled  to  two,  thus  making  the  whole  number 
twenty-seven.  The  bishops  were  J.  Weaver,  J.  Dickson, 
N.  Castle,  E.  B.  Kephart,  and  M.  Wright.  For  the  East 
District  the  following  were  elected  :  J.  J.  Glossbrenner, 
G.  A.  Funkhouser,  L.  W.  Craumer,  J.  Hill,  J.  W.  Hott ; 
for  the  Ohio  District :  W.  J.  Shuey,  Judge  J.  A.  Shauck, 
H.  Garst,  D.  L.  Rike,  J.  S".  Mills;  for  the  Northwest 
District :    W.  M.   Beardshear,  A.  M.   Beal,   George   Miller, 


THE  NINETEENTH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1885    357 

H.  A.  Snepp;  I.  K.  Station ;  for  the  Southwest  District : 
L.  Bookwalter,  S.  D.  Kemp,  J.  B.  King,  J.  H.  Snyder, 
J.  R.  Evans ;  for  the  Pacific  Coast  District :  P.  C.  Hetzler, 
I.  L.  Kephart. 

This  conference  in  the  main  was  characterized  by  a 
spirit  of  progress.  Numerous  reports  relating  to  the 
various  branches  of  church  enterprise  and  activity  were 
heard  and  considered,  and  such  action  taken  as  was  suit- 
able to  the  conditions  and  exigencies  of  the  several  inter- 
ests. The  conference  acquired  some  further  special  interest 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  last  which  the  venerable 
Bishop  Glossbrenner  attended,  after  a  service  of  forty 
years  in  the  office  of  bishop.  Just  before  the  final  ad- 
journment he  made  a  brief  address,  which  was  listened 
to  with  profound  interest. 

IV.       PERSONAL   NOTES. 

Daniel  Kiumler  Flickinger,  D.D. 

Bishop  D.  K.  Flickinger  was  born  near  Seven  Mile, 
Butler  County,  Ohio,  on  May  25,  1824.  He  is  a  grandson 
of  the  venerable  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.  His  father, 
Jacob  Flickinger,  was  an  early  minister  in  the  Miami 
Conference.  His  mother,  Hannah  Flickinger,  who  died 
a  few  years  ago  at  the  great  age  of  ninety-three,  was  a 
woman  of  sterling  personal  qualities,  and  of  most  beautiful 
Christian  life,  and  was  widely  held  in  loving  esteem.  Mr. 
Flickinger  entered  at  an  early  age  upon  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  becoming  a  member  of  the  Miami  Conference. 
He  served  in  various  relations  as  circuit  preacher  and 
pastor,  became  interested  in  foreign  missionary  work,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  company  of  three  who  located  the 
mission  of  the  Church  in  western  Africa.  He  was  a 
delegate  to  the   General   Conference  of  1857,   having  just 


358  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

then  returned  from  his  second  trip  to  Africa.  He  was 
full  of  missionary  enthusiasm,  and  was  elected  by  the 
General  Conference  as  corresponding  secretary  of  the 
Missionary  Society.  To  this  office  he  at  once  addressed 
himself  with  much  earnestness,  and  achieved  great  suc- 
cess. He  was  reelected  at  six  successive  General  Confer- 
ences, thus  serving  in  the  office  through  a  period  of 
twenty-eight  years.  It  was  most  fitting  that  after  so 
long  service  in  this  particular  field  he  should,  at  the 
conference  of  1885,  be  elected  to  the  higher  office  of 
foreign  missionary  bishop.  For  four  years  more  he  gave 
his  service  to  the  missionary  work,  with  the  greater 
attention  to  the  immediate  interests  of  the  foreign  depart- 
ment. The  General  Conference  of  1889  discontinued  this 
office,  and  with  this  his  official  relations  to  the  Church 
ceased. 

In  his  long  connection  with  the  missionary  work  of  the 
Church  Dr.  Flickinger  rendered  it  an  invaluable  service. 
Being  of  an  active  temperament  he  kept  the  Missionary 
Society  in  close  touch  with  the  Church  by  frequent  visits 
to  the  annual  conferences,  as  also  through  the  columns 
of  the  Missionary  Visitor  and  Religious  Telescope.  The 
foreign  work  never  ceased  to  enlist  his  special  interest, 
and  in  its  service,  as  missionary  secretary  and  bishop,  he 
made  eleven  visits  to  the  other  side  of  the  ocean.  He 
secured  at  various  times  large  sums  of  money  for  the 
work,  the  funds  for  building  the  training  school  at 
Shaingay  being  obtained  during  the  last  four  years  of  his 
official  life.  Until  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  bishop, 
he  was  also  editor  of  the  Missionary   Visitor. 

The  Church  will  not  soon  forget  the  great  service  he 
rendered  it  in  the  missionary  work,  or  the  frequency  with 
which  he  imperiled  his  life  on  ocean  voyages  and  in  the 
malarious  districts  in  Africa  to  which  his  duties  took  him. 


THE  NINETEENTH  GENEBAL  CONFERENCE— 1885    359 

But  there  can  also  be  no  other  than  a  feehng  of  profound 
regret  that,  after  a  period  of  thirty-two  years  of  official 
relationship  with  which  the  Church  had  honored  him,  he 
should  now,  late  in  the  afternoon  of  life,  have  seen  fit  to 
join  himself  to  those  who  went  out  from  among  us,  and 
sought  through  years  of  grievous  strife  to  injure  the  fair 
heritage  they  once  had  helped  to  build.  Dr.  Flickinger 
is  now  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age,  too  far 
advanced  in  life  to  make  so  great  a  mistake.  At  the 
last  session  of  the  Miami  Conference,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  member  from  the  beginning  of  his  ministerial 
life,  record  was  regretfully  made  that  he  had  withdrawn 
irregularly  from  the  Church. 


CHAPTER  XX 
THE    CHURCH    COMMISSION 

I.       PRELIMINARY. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1885,  was  held  an  assembly 
which  will  long  be  remembered  as  possessing  a  deep  his- 
toric interest.  It  was  the  meeting  of  the  Church  Com- 
mission appointed  by  the  General  Conference  in  May 
preceding.  Agreeably  to  the  instructions  of  the  confer- 
ence the  bishops  had  named  the  17th  of  November 
as  the  day  for  the  assembling  of  the  Commission,  and 
the  First  United  Brethren  Church,  in  the  city  of  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  as  the  place  of  meeting.  In  accordance  with 
the  announcement  of  the  bishops  twenty-five  of  the 
twenty-seven  members,  as  chosen  by  the  General  Con- 
ference, assembled  on  the  day  and  in  the  place  named. 
The  two  members  absent  were  Bishop  J.  Dickson  and 
Bishop  M.  Wright.  From  Bishop  Dickson  a  letter  was 
received  explaining  the  reasons  for  his  absence.  From 
Bishop  Wright  no  message  w^as  received.  The  names 
of  the  other  commissioners  are  found  in  the  preceding 
chapter. 

At  the  hour  of  nine  in  the  morning  Bishop  Weaver, 
the  senior  bishop,  called  the  Commission  to  order.  The 
session  was  opened  with  appropriate  religious  service. 
Bishop  Weaver  reading  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel 
of  John,  and  Dr.  Garst,  of  Otterbein  University,  and 
Bishop  Castle  leading  in  prayer.  Bishop  Weaver  then 
followed  with  a  brief  and  impressive  address,  reminding 


THE  CHURCH  COMMISSION  361 

the  members  of  the  extreme  importance  and  dehcacy  of 
the  duty  that  was  entrusted  to  them,  urging  them  to  seek 
fervently  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  to  abide 
in  much  patience  and  love  in  considering  each  other's 
views  as  they  might  find  expression  through  the  series 
of  days  during  which  they  might  be  together.  It  was 
arranged  that  the  bishops  preside  in  the  order  of  their 
seniority,  as  is  customary  in  the  General  Conferences. 
Rev.  Lewis  Book  waiter  was  chosen  as  secretary,  and  the 
Commission  was  duly  organized  for  business. 

The  act  of  the  General  Conference  creating  the  Com- 
mission and  defining  its  powers  and  duties  was  then 
read,  after  which  a  number  of  motions  were  adopted  to 
govern  the  order  of  proceeding.  A  proposition  to  sit 
with  closed  doors  did  not  meet  with  favor.  It  was  not 
deemed  desirable  that  the  general  public  should  be  invited, 
but  that  all  interested  persons  should  have  free  entrance 
whenever  they  wished  to  attend.  A  similar  proposition 
with  respect  to  reporters  for  the  press  was  not  supported. 
It  was  suggested  that  press  representatives  would  exercise 
due  courtesy. 

A  number  of  committees  were  appointed,  the  most 
important  of  which  were : 

1.  On  Confession  of  Faith :  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  H. 
Garst,  N.  Castle,  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  J.  W.  Hott,  W.  M. 
Beardshear,  M.  Wright,  J.  R.  Evans,  P.  C.  Hetzler. 

2.  On  Constitution :  I.  K.  Statton,  E.  B.  Kephart, 
W.  J.  Shuey,  J.  A.  Shauck,  L.  Book  waiter,  J.  H.  Snyder, 
I.  L.  Kephart,  A.  M.  Beal,  J.  Weaver. 

3.  On  Plan  of  Submission  to  the  Church  :  J.  S.  Mills, 
J.  Dickson,  D.  L.  Pike,  G.  Miller,  H.  A.  Snepp,  S.  D. 
Kemp,  J.  B.  King,  J.  Hill,  L.  W.  Craumer. 

The  two  vacancies  occasioned  by  absence  were  not 
supplied. 


362  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Thus  organized,  the  Commission  proceeded  to  the  re- 
sponsible business  before  it.  The  sessions  were  continued 
through  six  days.  Ample  time  was  given  to  the  several 
committees  to  consider  the  parts  of  the  work  allotted  to 
them,  and  the  sessions  were  characterized  by  much  earnest 
attention  and  a  deep  sense  of  the  responsibility  involved. 
Every  feature  of  the  several  reports  as  returned  by  the 
respective  committees  was  considered  in  the  open  session 
with  the  utmost  scrutiny,  so  that  in  every  particular  the 
best  possible  results  might  be  reached. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  trace  here  each  successive  step 
taken  in  these  deeply  important  proceedings,  which  are 
preserved  in  the  journal  of  the  Commission.  The  general 
reader  is  most  interested  in  seeing  the  results  which  were 
reached.  These,  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  Confession 
of  Faith  and  the  Constitution,  are  the  same  as  now  em- 
bodied in  the  Book  of  DiscipHne.  The  following  is  the 
Confession  of  Faith  in  its  revised  form  : 

II.       THE    REVISED    CONFESSION    OF    FAITH. 

In  the  name  of  God,  we  declare  and  confess  before  all  men  the 
following  articles  of  our  belief: 

ARTICLE    I. 

Of  Ood  and  the  Holy  Trinity. 

We  believe  in  the  only  true  God,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost;  that  these  three  are  one  — the  Father  in  the  Son,  the 
Son  in  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  or  being 
with  the  Father  and  the  Son. 

ARTICLE  II. 

Of  Creation  and  Providence. 

We  believe  that  this  triune  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  visible  and  invisible;  that  he  sus- 
tains, protects,  and  governs  these,  with  gracious  regard  for  the 
welfare  of  man,  to  the  glory  of  his  name. 


THE  CHURCH  COMMISSION  368 

ARTICLE  III. 

Of  Jesus  Christ. 
We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ ;  that  he  is  very  God  and  man ;  that  he 
became  incarnate  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  was  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary  ;  that  he  is  the  Saviour  and  Mediator  of  the  whole 
human  race,  if  they  with  full  faith  accept  the  grace  proffered  in 
Jesus;  that  this  Jesus  suffered  and  died  on  the  cross  for  us,  was 
buried,  rose  again  on  the  third  day,  ascended  into  heaven,  and 
sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  to  intercede  for  us ;  and  that  he  will 
come  again  at  the  last  day  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead. 

ARTICLE   IV. 

Of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
We  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that  he  is  equal  in  being  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son ;  that  he  convinces  the  world  of  sin,  of  righteous- 
ness, and  of  judgment ;  that  he  comforts  the  faithful  and  guides  them 
into  all  truth. 

ARTICLE    V. 

Of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
We  believe  that  the  Holy  Bible,  Old  and  New  Testaments,  is  the 
word  of  God  ;  that  it  reveals  the  only  true  way  to  our  salvation  ;  that 
every  true  Christian  is  bound  to  acknowledge  and  receive  it  by  the 
help  of  the  Spirit  of  God  as  the  only  rule  and  guide  in  faith  and 
practice. 

ARTICLE  vi. 
Of  the  Church. 
We  believe  in  a  holy  Christian  church,  composed  of  true  believers, 
in  which  the  word  of  God  is  preached  by  men  divinely  called,  and 
the  ordinances  are  duly  administered ;  that  this  divine  institution  is 
for  the  maintenance  of  worship,  for  the  edification  of  believers,  and 
the  conversion  of  the  world  to  Christ. 

ARTICLE    VII. 

Of  the  Sacraments. 

We  believe  that  the  sacraments,  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  are 
to  be  used  in  the  Church,  and  should  be  practiced  by  all  Christians; 
but  the  mode  of  baptism  and  the  mauner  of  observing  the  Lord's 
Supper  are  always  to  be  left  to  the  judgment  and  understanding  of 
each  individual.  Also,  the  baptism  of  children  shall  be  left  to  the 
judgment  of  believing  parents. 

The  example  of  the  washing  of  feet  is  to  be  left  to  the  judgment 
of  each  one,  to  practice  or  not. 


364  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ARTICLE  VIII. 

Of  Depravity. 
We  believe  that  man  is  fallen  from  original  righteousness,  and 
apart  from  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  not  only  entirely 
destitute  of  holiness,  but  is  inchned  to  evil,  and  only  evil,  and  that 
continually ;  and  that  except  a  man  be  born  again  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  heaven. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

Of  Justification. 
We  believe  that  penitent  sinners  are  justified  before  God,  only  by 
faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  by  works ;  yet  that  good  works 
in  Christ  are  acceptable  to  God,  and  spring  out  of  a  true  and  living 
faith. 

ARTICLE    X. 

Of  Regeneration  and  Adoption. 
We  believe  that  regeneration  is  the  renewal  of  the  heart  of  man 
after  the  image  of  God,  through  the  word,  by  the  act  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  by  which  the  believer  receives  the  spirit  of  adoption  and  is 
enabled  to  serve  God  with  the  will  and  the  affections. 

ARTICLE    XI. 

Of  Sanctification. 
We  believe  that  sanctification  is  the  work  of  God's  grace,  through 
the  word  and  the  Spirit,  by  which  those  who  have  been  born  again 
are  separated  in  their  acts,  words,  and  thoughts  from  sin,  and  are 
enabled  to  live  unto  God,  and  to  follow  holiness,  without  which  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord. 

ARTICLE    XII. 

Of  the  Christian  Sabbath. 
We  believe  that  the  Christian  Sabbath  is  divinely  appointed ;  that 
it  is  commemorative  of  our  Lord's  resurrection  from  the  grave,  and 
is  an  emblem  of  our  eternal  rest;  that  it  is  essential  to  the  welfare 
of  the  civil  community,  and  to  the  permanence  and  growth  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  that  it  should  be  reverently  observed  as  a  day 
of  holy  rest  and  of  social  and  public  worship. 

ARTICLE    XIII. 

Of  the  Future  State. 
We  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead;  the  future  general 
judgment;  and  an  eternal  state  of  rewards,  in  which  the  righteous 
dwell  in  endless  life,  and  the  wicked  in  endless  punishment. 


THE  CHURCH  COMMISSION  365 

III.       THE    AMENDED    CONSTITUTION. 

The  following  is  the  Constitution  as  amended  by  the 
Commission  : 

In  the  name  of  God,  we,  the  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,  for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  for  the 
edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ,  for  the  more  speedy  and  effectual 
spread  of  the  gospel,  and  in  order  to  produce  and  secure  uniformity' 
in  faith  and  practice,  to  define  the  powers  and  business  of  the  General 
Conference  as  recognized  by  this  Church,  and  to  preserve  inviolate 
the  popular  will  of  the  membership  of  the  Church,  do  ordain  this 
Constitution: 

article  i. 

Section  1.  All  ecclesiastical  power  herein  granted,  to  enact  or 
repeal  any  rule  or  rules  of  discipline,  is  vested  in  a  General  Con- 
ference, which  shall  consist  of  elders  and  laymen  elected  in  each 
annual-conference  district  throughout  the  Church.  The  number  and 
ratio  of  elders  and  laymen,  and  the  mode  of  their  election,  shall  be 
determined  by  the  General  Conference. 

Provided,  however,  that  such  elders  shall  have  stood  as  elders  in 
the  conferences  which  they  are  to  represent  for  no  less  time  than 
three  years  next  preceding  the  meeting  of  the  General  Conference  to 
which  they  are  elected ;  and  that  such  laymen  shall  be  not  less  than 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  and  shall  have  been  members  of  the  Church 
six  years,  and  members  in  the  conference  districts  which  they  are  to 
represent  at  least  three  years  next  preceding  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Conference  to  which  they  are  elected. 

Sec.  2.  The  General  Conference  shall  convene  every  four  years, 
and  a  majority  of  the  whole  number  of  delegates  elected  shall  consti- 
tute a  quorum. 

Sec.  3.  The  ministerial  and  lay  delegates  shall  deliberate  and  vote 
together  as  one  body ;  but  the  General  Conference  shall  have  power 
to  provide  for  a  vote  by  separate  orderg  whenever  it  deems  it  best  to 
do  so;  and  in  such  cases  the  concurrent  vote  of  both  orders  shall 
be  necessary  to  complete  an  action. 

Sec.  4.  The  General  Conference  shall,  at  each  session,  elect  bishops 
from  among  the  elders  throughout  the  Church  who  have  stood  six 
years  in  that  capacity. 

Sec.  5.  The  bishops  shall  be  members  ex  officio  and  presiding 
officers  of  the  General  Conference ;  but  in  case  no  bishop  be  present, 
the  conference  shall  choose  a  president  pro  tempore. 

Sec.  6.  The  General  Conference  shall  determine  the  number  and 
boundaries  of  the  annual  conferences. 


366  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Sec.  7.  The  General  Conference  shall  have  power  to  review  the 
records  of  the  annual  conferences  and  see  that  the  business  of  each 
annual  conference  is  done  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  Discipline, 
and  approve  or  annul,  as  the  case  may  require. 

Sec.  8.  The  General  Conference  shall  have  full  control  of  The 
United  Brethren  Printing  Establishment,  The  Home,  Frontier,  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,  The  Church-Erection  Society,  The 
General  Sabbath-School  Board,  The  Board  of  Education,  and  Union 
Biblical  Seminary.  It  shall  also  have  power  to  establish  and  manage 
any  other  organization  or  institution  within  the  Church  which  it 
may  deem  helpful  in  the  work  of  evangelization. 

Sec.  9.  The  General  Conference  shall  have  power  to  establish  a 
court  of  appeals. 

Sec.  10.  The  General  Conference  may — two-thirds  of  the  mem- 
bers elected  thereto  concurring — propose  changes  in,  or  additions  to, 
the  Confession  of  Faith;  provided,  that  the  concurrence  of  three- 
fourths  of  the  annual  conferences  shall  be  necessary  to  their  final 
ratification. 

ARTICLE  II. 

The  General  Conference  shall  have  power,  as  provided  in  Article  I., 
Section  1,  of  this  Constitution,  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
Church;  nevertheless,  it  shall  be  subject  to  the  following  limitations 
and  restrictions : 

Section  1.  The  General  Conference  shall  enact  no  rule  or  ordi- 
nance which  will  change  or  destroy  the  Confession  of  Faith;  and 
shall  establish  no  standard  of  doctrine  contrary  to  the  Confession  of 
Faith. 

Sec.  2,  The  General  Conference  shall  enact  no  rule  which  will 
destroy  the  itinerant  plan. 

Sec.  3.  The  General  Conference  shall  enact  no  rule  which  will 
deprive  local  preachers  of  their  votes  in  the  annual  conferences  to 
which  they  severally  belong. 

Sec.  4.  The  General  Conference  shall  enact  no  rule  which  will 
abolish  the  right  of  appeal. 

ARTICLE    III. 

Section  1.  We  declare  that  all  secret  combinations  which  infringe 
upon  the  rights  of  those  outside  their  organization,  and  whose  prin- 
ciples and  practices  are  injurious  to  the  Christian  character  of  their 
members,  are  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  Christians  ought 
to  have  no  connection  with  them. 

The  General  Conference  shall  have  power  to  enact  such  rules  of 
Discipline  with  respect  to  such  combinations  as  in  its  judgment  it 
may  deem  proper. 


THE  CHUBCH  COMMISSION  367 

Sec.  2.  We  declare  that  human  slavery  is  a  violation  of  human 
rights,  and  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God.  It  shall  therefore  in  no 
wise  be  tolerated  among  us. 

ARTICLE  IV. 

The  right,  title,  interest,  and  claim  of  all  property,  both  real  and 
personal,  of  whatever  name  or  description,  obtained  by  purchase  or 
otherwise,  by  any  person  or  persons,  for  the  use,  benefit,  and  behoof 
of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  are  hereby  fully 
recognized,  and  held  to  vest  in  the  Church  aforesaid. 

ARTICLE    V. 

Section  1.  Amendments  to  this  Constitution  vaay  be  proposed  by 
any  General  Conference, —  two-thirds  of  the  members  elected  thereto 
concurring, — which  amendments  shall  be  submitted  to  a  vote  of  the 
membership  throughout  the  Church,  under  regulations  authorized  by 
said  conference. 

A  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  upon  any  submitted  amendment 
shall  be  necessary  to  its  final  ratification. 

Sec.  2.  The  foregoing  amended  Constitution  shall  be  in  force  frorat 
and  after  the  first  Monday  after  the  second  Thursday  of  May,  1889, 
upon  official  proclamation  thereof  by  the  Board  of  Bishops ;  provided^ 
that  the  General  Conference  elected  for  1889  shall  be  the  lawful  legis- 
lative body  under  the  amended  Constitution,  with  full  power,  until 
its  final  adjournment,  to  enact  such  rules  as  this  amended  Consti- 
tution authorizes. 

IV.       THE    PLAN    OF    SUBMISSION. 

It  was  apparent  from  the  first  that  the  manner  of 
submitting  tlie  revised  Confession  of  Faith  and  the 
amended  Constitution  to  the  people  of  the  Church  for 
approval  or  rejection  would  be  questions  of  the  most 
serious  import.  Several  things  were  necessary  to  be  pro- 
vided for.  Among  these  was,  first,  that  the  amendments 
submitted  should  be  brought  as  widely  as  possible  to  the 
attention  of  the  Church,  in  order  to  secure  the  largest  vote 
possible.  Second,  it  was  necessary  that  the  method  of 
taking  the  vote  should  be  so  clearly  defined  as  to  provide 
against  liability  to  mistakes  in  the  balloting.  And,  third, 
it  was  of  the  highest  importance  that  every  provision  be 


368  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

clearly  stated  according  to  constitutional  and  legal  forms, 
so  that  no  irregularity  might  lead  to  the  invalidation  of 
the  results.  The  whole  subject  was  given  the  most  careful 
attention  by  the  committee  who  had  this  part  of  the  duties 
of  the  Commission  in  charge,  and  the  report  as  made  by 
them,  and  after  further  consideration  adopted,  was  so  well 
devised  in  all  its  details  that  in  all  the  searching  scrutiny 
which  followed  subsequently  in  the  civil  courts  nothing 
could  be  discovered  that  tended  in  any  way  to  weaken 
the  verdict  rendered  by  the  people  in  their  vote  approving 
the  amendments. 

The  time  for  taking  the  vote  was  fixed  for  the  entire 
month  of  November,  1888,  thus  giving,  from  the  time 
of  the  sitting  of  the  Commission,  nearly  three  years  for 
the  consideration  and  discussion  of  the  proposed  amend- 
ments. Every  means  was  employed,  by  publication  in 
the  Religious  Telescope  and  the  Frbhliclie  Botschafter,  and 
in  pamphlets  and  circulars,  to  inform  the  people  concern- 
ing the  nature  of  the  proposed  amendments,  and  every 
phase  was  submitted  to  the  freest  and  amplest  discussion, 
not  only  in  the  periodicals,  but  also  in  the  annual  con- 
ferences and  elsewhere. 

Provision  was  made  for  a  separate  vote  on  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  and  the  Constitution,  so  that  each  person 
might  vote  for  one  only,  or  for  both,  or  against  both. 
Provision,  however,  was  also  made  for  a  separate  vote  on 
each  of  the  two  most  important  sections  of  the  Con- 
stitution, that  on  lay  delegation,  and  that  relating  to  secret 
combinations,  thus  securing  thorough  flexibility  in  the 
arrangements  and  the  fullest  freedom  for  the  expression 
of  every  individual  preference. 

The  form  of  ballot  used  in  taking  the  vote  was  as 
follows : 


THE  CHURCH  COMMISSION  369 

1888. 
United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

BAL,LOT 

On  amendments  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Constitution. 
Members  wishing  to  vote  NO  on  either  proposition  must  erase 
the  word  YES  and  insert  NO. 

Confession  of  Faith... YES. 

Amended   Constitution YES. 

Lay  Delegation YES. 

Section  on  Secret  Combinations YES. 

Very  complete  provision  was  made  for  boards  of  tellers, 
local,  conference,  and  general.  The  local  boards  consisted 
of  the  pastor,  leaders,  and  stewards  of  each  society.  The 
conference  boards  of  tellers  were  to  be  appointed  by  the 
annual  conferences  respectively,  each  at  its  session  next 
preceding  the  month  of  November,  1888.  The  General 
Board  of  Tellers  was  appointed  by  the  Commission  itself, 
and  consisted  of  J.  Weaver,  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  L.  Book- 
waiter,  D.  L.  Rike,  W.  J.  Shuey,  J.  A.  Shauck,  and  H. 
Garst.  All  reports  from  the  conference  boards  of  tellers 
were  required  to  be  forwarded  to  the  General  Board  of 
Tellers,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  on  or  before  January  1,  1889, 
and  the  General  Board  was  required  to  make  its  report 
to  the  Board  of  Bishops  not  later  than  January  15,  1889. 

V.       OPPOSITION    TO    the    REVISION. 

The  reader  has  seen  that  the  action  of  the  General 
Conference  in  creating  the  Church  Commission  met,  dur- 
ing the  session  of  that  body,  with  strong  opposition.  This 
opposition  did  not  by  any  means  cease  after  the  conference 
adjourned.  On  the  other  hand,  every  available  agency 
was  now  employed  to  create  throughout  the  Church  a 
sentiment  adverse  to  the  step  taken  by  the  General  Con- 
ference. Among  these  agencies  was  the  publication  of  a 
weekly  paper,  the  Christian  Conservator^  whose  mission  was 

24 


370  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

largely,  if  not  chiefly,  to  oppose  the  revision  contemplated. 
The  subject  was  also  freely  discussed  in  all  its  aspects 
through  the  columns  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  both  for 
and  against.  In  the  sessions  of  the  annual  conferences 
and  elsewhere  it  was  brought  up  for  debate  and  action. 
This  busy  opposition,  w^hich  began  at  once  after  the 
adjournment  of  the  General  Conference,  became  greatly 
intensified  after  the  Commission  had  held  its  meeting,  as 
directed  by  the  General  Conference,  and  published  the 
results  of  its  work  to  the  Church.  The  Confession  of 
Faith  and  the  Constitution  as  revised  and  amended  were 
subjected  to  the  closest  scrutiny  from  every  standpoint, 
and  every  conceivable  form  of  opposition  to  them  was 
set  up.  As  far  as  every  agency  could  be  brought  to 
reach  the  people  throughout  the  Church,  it  was  sought 
to  influence  their  minds  against  the  amended  instruments, 
so  as  to  bring  about  their  failure  by  the  popular  vote.  The 
amendments  were  characterized  as  revolutionary^  as  out- 
rages, as  involving  a  breach  of  faith,  and  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding was  declared  unconstitutional  and  violent ;  and 
it  was  sought  to  persuade  the  people  that  if  they  were 
adopted  the  Church  would  no  longer  be  the  same  Church, 
but  would  be  a  new  and  different  bod^^  This  opposition 
was  continued  in  its  full  activity  until  after  the  people 
had  spoken  through  the  ballot  box,  almost  three  years 
after  the  Commission  had  concluded  its  work. 

Notwithstanding  this  opposition  and  the  long-sustained 
effort  to  affect  unfavorably  the  mind  of  the  Church  toward 
the  amended  Constitution  and  Confession,  when  the  vote 
was  counted,  the  results,  as  will  be  seen  a  little  farther 
on,  were  found  to  be  overwhelmingly  in  favor  of  adop- 
tion. The  vote  was  taken  in  connection  with  that  for 
delegates  to  the  General  Conference  of  May,  1889,  at 
which  the  number  of  ballots  cast  was  the  largest  in  the 


THE  CHURCH  COMMISSION  371 

history  of  the  Church.  The  vote  was  a  most  emphatic 
as  well  as  conclusive  expression  of  the  will  of  the  people 
in  regard  to  each  particular  of  the  amended  forms  of 
these  fundamental  instruments  as  they  came  from  the 
hands  of  the  Commission. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE  — 1889 
I.       PRELIMINARY. 

The  assembling  of  the  twentieth  General  Conference, 
that  of  May,  1889,  was  an  event  that  was  anticipated 
with  profound  interest  throughout  the  entire  denomina- 
tion. This  interest  centered  chiefly  in  the  fact  that  this 
conference  was  expected  to  pass  upon  the  work  of  the 
Church  Commission  appointed  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1885  and  upon  the  popular  vote  taken  upon  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  and  Constitution .  of  the  Church  as  revised 
and  amended  by  the  Commission. 

The  conference  was  held  in  the  city  of  York,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  York  Opera  House  in  that  city,  the 
session  opening  at  two  o'clock  p.m.  on  Thursday,  May  9. 
Bishop  Weaver,  the  senior  bishop  of  the  Church,  called 
the  conference  to  order.  All  the  other  bishops  were  pres- 
ent—J.  Dickson,  N.  Castle,  E.  B.  Kephart,  M.  Wright, 
D.  K.  Flickinger.  The  delegates  from  the  annual  con- 
ferences numbered  one  hundred  and  twenty-five,  the 
entire  body  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-one 
members.  The  conference  continued  in  session  from  May 
9  to  22. 

The  proceedings  of  this  General  Conference  were  marked 
throughout  with  a  deep  interest.  A  few  of  the  more  sali- 
ent features  are  here  to  be  spoken  of.  The  first  and  fullest 
reference  must  relate  to  the  action  taken  on  the  results  of 
the  revision  of  the  Constitution  and  Confession,  and  the 
vote  of  the  people  thereon. 

372 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE- 1889    873 
II.       ADDRESS    OF    THE    BISHOPS. 

That  portion  of  the  quadrennial  address  of  the  bishops 
relating  to  the  necessity  for  revision,  the  work  of  the 
Church  Commission,  and  the  vote  of  the  people  possesses 
a  prominent  historic  interest,  and  the  reader  will  be 
pleased  to  see  it  included  here.     The  bishops  said  : 

By  the  action  and  authorization  of  the  General  Conference  of  May, 
1885,  a  Church  Commission  was  convened  on  the  17th  day  of  the 
following  November,  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  to  take  under  consideration 
the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Constitution  of  the  Church,  and  to  prepare 
such  a  form  of  belief  and  such  amended  fundamental  rules  for  its 
government  in  the  future  as  would,  in  their  judgment,  be  best 
adapted  to  secure  its  growth  and  efficiency  in  the  work  of  evangel- 
izing the  world.  After  six  days'  deliberation  upon  these  grave 
interests,  to  which  were  given  the  largest  wisdom,  the  wisest  thought, 
the  closest  scrutiny,  and  the  most  pious  judgment  within  the  capa- 
bilities of  the  Commission,  a  report  was  unanimously  agreed  upon, 
and  in  November  last,  by  the  largest  expression  ever  obtained  in 
the  denomination,  was  adopted,  the  vote  being  in  excess  of  a  two- 
thirds  majority. 

We  refrain  from  argument  in  support  of  what  was  done,  but  may 
be  allowed  some  general  statements  to  you  upon  a  question  of  such 
wide  and  general  interest  to  the  Church  as  the  one  now  challenging 
your  most  godly  consideration. 

It  is  sadly  known  throughout  the  Church  that  there  has  been  for 
a  time  a  growing  friction  along  the  line  of  what  has  been  known  as 
the  organic  law  of  the  Church.  Two  antagonistic  views  have 
obtained  and  found  ample  advocacy  in  the  past.  The  one  is,  that  we 
have  a  valid  Constitution,  of  absolute  and  unquestioned  force,  bind- 
ing on  all  the  members  of  the  Church,  and  also  so  bounding,  restrict- 
ing, and  limiting  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  itself,  tliat  it 
cannot  legislate  along  certain  lines  nor  adopt  certain  measures,  well 
defined  in  the  hmiting  terms  of  the  Constitution,  without  being 
guilty  of  usurpation  and  revolution.  The  other  view  is,  that  the 
General  Conference,  being  a  constitutional  body,  has  judicial  powers, 
is  capable  of  judicial  action,  and  hence,  being  the  highest  authority 
known  in  the  jurisprudence  of  the  Church,  may,  by  right,  adjudicate 
questions  of  dispute,  interpret  and  construe  law,  as  well  as  devise 
and  formulate  plans  for  the  furtherance  of  its  benevolent  designs 
and  its  mission  of  mercy  among  men. 

It  is  furthermore  held  that  the  restrictions  which  have  been  sup- 


374  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

posed  to  form  an  impassable  barrier  to  the  authority  of  the  General 
Conference  are  so  far-reaching  in  their  demands,  and  so  ambiguous 
in  their  meaning,  as  to  render  them  utterly  untenable  in  a  day  of 
advanced  thought  and  of  expanding  measures.  It  has  been  in  a 
measure  demonstrated  that  a  feature  of  absolute  immutability  has 
been  impressed  on  her  Constitution,  so  that  its  amendment,  according 
to  its  own  terms,  is  an  utter  impossibilitj^  This  absolutism  in  our 
system,  this  inflexibility  of  provision  for  amendment,  is  being 
regarded,  in  the  light  of  recent  experience,  as  exceedingly  unfor- 
tunate. While  any  change  in  fundamental  principles  should  be 
rendered  difficult  of  accomplishment,  yet  some  flexibility  should 
obtain  in  relations  where  the  knowledge  of  actors  is  imperfect  and 
their  judgment  confessedly  fallible. 

Now,  while  one  view  or  line  of  interpretation,  if  pushed  to  the 
utmost  limit  of  a  literal  construction,  would  make  any  change  what- 
ever utterly  impossible,  and  while  the  other  view,  if  expanded  to  the 
proportions  of  the  most  liberal  construction  possible,  would  make 
questionable  inroads  upon  our  fundamental  principles,  we  must, 
avoiding  these  extremes,  seek  the  happy  mean  between  so  much 
conservatism,  on  the  one  hand,  that  any  change  is  impossible,  and 
so  much  flexibility,  on  the  other  hand,  that  organic  law  has  no 
sufficient  safeguard. 

Certainly  a  church  constitution  should  have  some  possible  method 
of  procedure  by  which  it  could  be  amended.  That  those  who  gave 
us  the  Constitution  intended  to  put  it  .practically  beyond  the  possi- 
bility of  alteration  or  modification,  has  never  been  insisted  upon. 
And  yet  the  Church  found  itself  in  this  very  attitude  when  it  came 
to  meet  a  growing  demand  for  more  pliant  and  equitable  measures 
arising  from  the  exigencies  of  the  times. 

With  a  view  of  divesting  this  subject  of  all  ambiguity,  extirpating 
all  doubt,  and  thus  avoiding  possible  perplexing  difficulties  in  the 
future,  this  whole  matter  was  submitted  to  this  Commission,  where 
it  found  full  and  careful  expression,  and  then  went  to  a  vote  of  the 
Church  with  such  a  result  as  will  come  to  your  notice  and  consid- 
eration by  the  official  report  to  be  hereafter  submitted. 

Beloved  brethren,  tliis  may  be  the  crisis  period  in  the  history  of 
the  Church.  You  will  weigh  well  what  has  been  done.  The  church 
of  God  is  your  priceless  heritage.  It  is  the  purchase  of  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ.  As  the  chosen  representatives  of  a  Christian  people, 
whose  views  and  wishes  you  are  supposed  to  reflect,  you  can  aflfbrd 
to  bid  utter  defiance  to  self  and  to  selfish  ends.  You  are  representa- 
tives. The  Church  of  the  latter  part  of  the  nineteenth  century  has 
called  you  to  conserve  what  to  her  is  precious  and  priceless  — sound- 
ness of  doctrine  and  clearness  of  experience.    These  preserved,  the 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE- 1889     375 

ancient  landmarks  still  remain.  New  worlds  await  your  conquest, 
unknown  regions  await  your  invasion,  if  you  are  men  of  cultured 
brain  and  consecrated  heart.  We  may  be  aggressive  without  being 
ecclesiastical  vandals;  we  may  be  conserv^ative  without  being  reli- 
gious bigots. 

True  reformers  and  true  conservatives  walk  hand  in  hand.  Their 
goal  is  the  same.  They  differ  only  in  method,  not  in  purpose;  in 
head,  not  in  heart.  The  one  is  not  the  enemy  of  progress,  the  other 
is  not  the  enemy  of  conservation,  yet  either  is  liable  to  so  judge  the 
other.     "  Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged." 

As  ministers,  representative  men,  we  can  be  active  without  be- 
coming bitter  partisans,  be  conservative  without  becoming  stoical, 
and  be  progressive  without  becoming  fanatical. 

Your  action  will  be  decisive.  Well  may  you  tremble  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  greatness  of  the  work  to  be  done.  The  voice  of  history 
both  warns  and  cheers.  Be  cautious,  but  not  faltering;  brave,  but 
not  rash ;  firm,  but  not  captious.  The  future  of  this  Church,  as  well 
as  the  cause  of  God  in  general,  will  be  helped  or  hindered  by  what 
we  do.     "Quit  you  like  men,  be  strong." 

The  address  was  signed  by  Bishops  Weaver,  Dickson, 
Castle,  Kephart,  and  Flickinger.  Bishop  Wright,  who  had 
declined  to  give  it  his  signature,  read  a  separate  address, 
dissenting  as  to  the  portion  here  quoted. 

III.       REPORT    OF    THE    CHURCH    COMMISSION. 

On  the  second  day  of  the  session,  on  mbtion  of  W. 
McKee,  the  report  of  the  Church  Commission  was  ordered 
to  be  read.     W.  J.  Shuey  read  the  report. 

To  the  Bishops  and  the  General  Conference  of  the  Church  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,  convened  in  the  city  of  York,  Penn- 
sylvania, May  9,  1889: 

Dear  Fathers  and  Brethren:  During  the  session  of  the 
General  Conference  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ 
held  in  Fostoria,  Ohio,  in  May,  1885,  a  "Church  Commission," 
composed  of  twenty-seven  persons,  was  "authorized  and  established." 

The  duties  and  powers  of  said  Commission  were  distinctly  and 
fully  defined,  as  the  records  of  your  body  will  sliow. 

In  pursuance  of  this  action  of  the  General  Conference,  the  Com- 
mission thus  authorized  and  appointed,  on  call  of  the  bishops  of  the 
Church,  assembled  in  the  First  United  Brethren  Church  in  the  city 


376  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  Dayton,  Ohio,  on  the  17th  day  of  November,  A.D.  1885,  and,  after 
mature  and  most  prayerful  deUberation  during  six  days  and  nights, 
prepared  for  the  consideration  and  adoption  of  and  by  the  Church 
the  following  Confession  of  Faith  and  amended  Constitution : 

[Here  follow  the  revised  Confession  and  amended  Constitution 
(which  the  reader  has  seen  in  the  preceding  chapter),  the  Plan  of 
Submission,  and  the  Address  of  the  Bishops  to  the  Church  as  pub- 
lished in  January,  1886.     The  report  then  continues:] 

It  will  be  perceived  that  the  time  adopted  for  casting  the  vote 
of  the  Church  was  the  month  of  November,  1888,  the  time  being 
identical  with  that  for  electing  delegates  to  the  General  Conference 
of  1889. 

During  the  three  years  elapsing  between  the  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mission and  the  first  publication  of  its  work  and  the  time  of  voting 
on  its  recommendations,  no  labor  and  expense  were  spared  to  secure 
the  "largest  possible  attention"  of  our  people  to  the  proposed  Con- 
fession of  Faith  and  amended  Constitution.  Through  the  official 
organs  of  the  Church,  by  pamphlet,  and  by  comparison  of  the  new 
with  the  old  —  tens  of  thousands  in  number — we  endeavored  to 
enlighten  and  interest  our  membership  on  the  grave  subjects  in  hand. 
Many  of  our  pastors  read  the  prepared  documents  from  their  pulpits, 
and  by  comment  and  explanation  sought  to  make  their  provisions 
plain  to  all  who  were  to  exercise  their  prerogative  to  vote  upon  them. 

The  following  is  the  aggregate  vote  for  and  against  the  several 
propositions  submitted : 

For  the  Confession  of  Faith 51,070 

Against 3,310 

Majority  for  Confession  of  Faith 47,760 

Number  required  to  adopt 36,245 

For  the  amended  Constitution 50,685 

Against 3,659 

Majority  for  the  amended  Constitution 47,026 

Number  required  to  adopt 36,230 

For  lay  delegation 48,825 

Against 5,634 

Majority  for  lay  delegation 43,191 

Number  required  to  adopt 36,306 

For  section  on  secret  combinations 46,994 

Against 7,298 

Majority  for  section  on  secret  combinations 39,696 

Number  required  to  adopt 36,194 

Total  number  of  votes  cast  for  and  against  the  several  prop- 
ositions   54,369 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1889     377 

All  the  separate  propositions  having  been  adopted  by  the  required 
two-thirds  majority  of  all  who  voted,  the  Confession  of  Faith  and 
amended  Constitution,  as  framed  and  recommended  by  your  Com- 
mission, are  become  "the  fundamental  belief  and  organic  law  of 
the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ." 

Your  Commission  kept  a  full  and  accurate  record  of  iits  proceed- 
ings, which  record  we  herewith  present  as  a  part  of  this  report,  and 
for  inspection  and  ratification  or  seal  of  approval  of  General  Con- 
ference, and  ask  that  your  Commission  be  discharged. 

Finally,  brethren,  permit  us  to  assure  you  that  in  the  performance 
of  the  extraordinary  and  delicate  duties  assigned  us  we  sought  only 
to  be  guided  by  divine  wisdom.  In  all  our  deliberations  the  kindest 
spirit  prevailed,  and  the  unanimous  feeling  of  the  members  present 
was  that  our  Father  in  heaven  was  not  unmindful  of  our  need  of  his 
blessing.  Our  chief  concern  has  not  ceased  to  be  that  the  results 
of  this  reconstruction  of  our  articles  of  religion  and  organic  church 
polity  may  redound  to  the  highest  prosperity  of  tlie  cause  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  represented  by  our  denomination. 
Respectfully  submitted, 

J.  Weaver.  I.  L.  Kephart. 

N.  Castle.  A.  M.  Beal. 

E.  B.  Kephart.  J.  S.  Mills. 

W.  M.  Beardshear.        John  A.  Shauck. 

Lewis  Bookwalter.        George  Miller. 

W.  J.  Shuey.  John  Hill. 

J.  W.  Hott.  J.  H.  Snyder. 

D.  L.  RiKE.  H.  A.  Snepp. 

I.  K.  Statton.  p.  C.  Hetzler. 

J.  R.  Evans.  Hentiy  Garst. 

G.   A.    FUNKHOUSER. 

Mr.  Shuey  explained  that  this  report  was  signed  by 
twenty-one  of  the  twenty-five  members  participating  in 
the  work  of  the  Commission.  Of  the  remaining  four 
Bishop  Glossbrenner  had  died,  and  three  were  too  remote 
to  append  their  signatures.  They  were  apprised  of  the 
purport  of  the  report,  and  gave  their  assent  to  it. 

On  motion  of  B.  F.  Booth  a  special  committee  of  seven 
was  appointed  to  whom  the  report  was  referred.  The  com- 
mittee consisted  of  T.  D.  Adams,  D.  R.  Miller,  C.  T.  Stearn, 
H.  Floyd,  D.  Shuck,  G.  ]\I.  Mathews,  and  J.  Medsger. 


378  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

IV.       APPROVAL    RECOMMENDED. 

On  Saturday  morning,  the  third  day  of  the  session,  after 
some  preUminary  business,  this  committee  presented  the 
following  report,  through  its  secretary,  G.  M.  Mathews  : 

To  the  General  Conference: 

Your  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  report  to  your  body  of 
the  Commission  constituted  by  the  General  Conference  of  four  years 
ago,  and  charged  with  the  duty  of  considering  our  present  Confession 
of  Faith  and  Constitution,  and  of  preparing  such  form  of  beUef,  and 
such  amended  fundamental  rules  for  the  government  of  this  Church 
in  the  future,  as  would,  in  their  judgment,  be  best  adapted  to  secure 
its  growth  and  etRciency  in  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  world, 
would  beg  to  report  as  follows,  viz.: 

1.  We  have  carefully  examined  the  records  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  Commission,  and  find  them  fully  and  accurately  kept,  and 
indicating  a  thorough  consideration  of  all  matters  involved  in  their 
work,  with  impartial  purpose  to  reach  only  right  conclusions. 

2.  We  have  also  compared  the  instructions  and  limitations  by  the 
former  General  Conference  with  their  work  as  finally  adopted  by 
said  Commission,  and  find  that  said  instructions  and  limitations 
were  obeyed  and  carried  out  with  commendable  accuracy. 

3.  The  "Plan  of  Submission"  we  believe  to  have  been  in  accord 
with  the  best  methods  of  accomplishing  the  best  results.  Three 
years  were  given  for  discussion  and  reflection  by  our  people  as  to  the 
merits  of  the  two  documents  submitted  for  their  final  approval  or 
disapproval.  All  reasonable  efforts  were  employed  to  secure  the 
largest  possible  attention  of  all  whose  right  and  duty  it  was  to  vote 
on  the  propositions  submitted. 

4.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  proceedings  and  acts  of  the  Com- 
mission have  been  found  to  be  regular  and  in  accord  with  the  direc- 
tions given  by  the  highest  authority  known  to  our  Church,  your 
committee  would  recommend  the  adoption  of  the  following,  viz. : 

Resolved^  by  the  General  Conference  of  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ,  in  quadrennial  session  assembled  in  the  citv  of 
York,  Pennsylvania,  May  9,  1889, 

1.  That  the  recorded  proceedings  of  the  Commission,  including 
the  revised  Confession  of  Faith  and  amended  Constitution,  as  formu- 
lated and  submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  Church,  together  with  tlie 
method  of  submission  and  all  other  acts  by  which  the  will  of  the 
Church  was  ascertained  thereon,  are  hereby  approved  and  confirined. 

2.  Tliat  because  of  the  truth  that  the  revised  Confession  of  Faith 
and  amended  Constitution  as  a  whole,  and  all  the  separate  propo- 
sitions thereof,  submitted  to  the  membership  of  our  Church  have 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1889     379 

been  adopted  by  more  than  the  required  two-thirds  of  all  the  votes 
cast  thereon,  as  required  by  the  General  Conference  of  1885,  it  is 
hereby  declared  and  published  by  this  conference,  and  for  itself, 
that  the  said  revised  Confession  of  Faith  and  amended  Constitution, 
as  framed  and  submitted  by  the  lawfully  constituted  Commission 
of  the  Church,  are  become  the  fundamental  belief  and  organic  law 
of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  and  will  be  in  full 
force  and  effect  on  and  after  the  13th  day  of  May,  A.D.  1889,  upon 
the  proclamation  of  the  bishops,  as  provided  and  ordered  in  the  said 
amended  Constitution. 

This  report  was  signed  by  five  members  of  the  com- 
mittee, Halleck  Floyd  and  D.  Shuck  presenting  a  dis- 
senting report. 

Tlie  reader  will  observe  that  the  main  points  in  this 
report  relate  to  the  questions  whether  the  Commission 
adhered  in  all  points  to  the  instructions  of  the  act  under 
which  it  was  appointed,  whether  the  plan  of  submission 
to  the  people  had  been  properly  framed  and  carried  out, 
and  whether  in  the  vote  cast  the  requisite  two-thirds 
majority  had  been  given  for  approval  of  the  amended 
instruments.  The  General  Conference  was  not  now  asked 
to  ratify  the  revised  Confession  and  amended  Constitu- 
tion. That  had  been  done  by  the  great  body  of  the 
Church,  the  essential  authority  upon  this  question.  It 
now  only  remained  for  the  General  Conference,  the  high- 
est judicial  authority  in  the  Church,  to  inquire  if  all  the 
proceedings  leading  to  the  results  reached  had  been  regu- 
lar and  in  orderly  form,  and  place  its  approval  upon  the 
work  of  the  Commission  as  prayed  for  by  the  Church. 
This  inquiry  was  made  through  the  committee  of  seven, 
and  their  report  was  now  before  the  conference  for 
approval. 

The  motion  to  adopt  was  followed  by  a  prolonged  dis- 
cussion, the  vote  being  reached  just  before  the  evening 
adjournment.  The  discussion  on  the  part  of  the  opposition 
was  largely  of  the  nature  of  a  reiterated  protest,  no  hope 
being  entertained  of  overthrowing  by  a  negative  vote  all 


380  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

that  had  been  done,  or  of  modifying  to  any  material 
extent  the  final  results. 

When  the  report  was  finally  put  upon  its  passage,  it 
was  adopted  by  a  majority  of  more  than  five-sixths  of 
the  entire  body,  one  hundred  and  ten  members  voting 
in  the  afiirmative  to  twenty  in  the  negative.  One  mem- 
ber who  was  absent  afterward  recorded  his  vote  on  the 
affirmative  side.  Five  of  those  who  voted  with  the 
minority  did  not  unite  with  them  in  their  later  jDro- 
ceedings. 

Thus  by  the  nearly  unanimous  voice  of  the  General 
Conference  were  the  proceedings  throughout  leading  up 
to  the  final  consummation  declared  regular  and  valid, 
and  the  amended  instruments  needed  only  the  further 
proclamation  of  the  bishoj^s,  as  had  been  duly  provided 
for,  to  become  the  statement  of  the  fundamental  belief 
and  law  of  the  Church. 

V.       AN    OLIVE    BRANCH. 

After  the  adoption  of  the  report  Dr.  J.  W.  Hott,  from 
a  sincere  desire  to  preserve  kindly  fellowship  with  those 
voting  in  the  minority,  offered  the  following  paper  : 

Whereas,  For  the  past  four  years  a  number  of  our  brethren, 
naembers  of  this  General  Conference,  and  others,  have,  for  reasons 
which  they  have  often  exj^ressed,  vigorously  and  deterniinately 
opposed  the  Church  Commission  and  the  adoption  of  the  revised 
Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Constitution  of  the  Church  adopted 
by  the  people;  and 

Whereas,  They  now  doubtless  feel  disappointed  and  aggrieved 
by  the  results  of  the  action  taken  by  the  Church ;  therefore. 

Resolved^  1.  We,  the  members  of  the  General  Conference  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,  assembled  in  York,  Pennsylvania,  hereby 
express  our  deep  regret  that  any  of  our  brethren  should  not  be  able 
to  cheerfully  acquiesce  in  the  decision  of  the  great  majority  of  the 
votes  of  our  people  cast  in  the  election  held  in  November,  1888, 
upon  these  documents  then  submitted  to  the  Church  and  now 
approved  by  this  General  Conference. 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONEEjRENCE—1889     381 

2.  We  hereby  express  our  appreciation  of  the  honesty  and  sin- 
cerity of  our  brethren  opposed  to  the  action  of  the  majority  of  the 
Church,  and  we  honor  them  for  their  faithfulness  to  their  beliefs. 

3.  We  hereby  tender  anew  to  these  brethren  our  sympathy  and 
fellowship  in  the  love  of  Christ  our  Saviour,  and  in  the  charity 
of  Otterbein  and  Boehm,  the  beloved  founders  of  our  Church.  We 
shall  use  our  influence  in  the  time  to  come  to  the  end  that  these 
brethren  shall  be  treated  as  if  these  diflerences  had  never  existed ; 
and  we  most  sincerely  welcome  them  anew  to  our  fellowship  in 
the  work  of  the  gospel,  and  we  shall  deeply  regret  it  if  any  of  them 
should  in  any  way  diminish  their  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Church 
in  which  we  have  so  long  labored  together,  and  which  is  alike  dear 
to  us  all. 

Several  of  those  toward  whom  the  paper  was  designed 
as  a  kindly  expression  strongly  objected  to  its  passage, 
and,  as  the  time  for  adjournment  was  at  hand,  it  was 
referred  to  the  Committee  on  the  State  of  the  Church. 
By  reason  of  events  which  occurred  two  days  later,  it  was 
not  again  called  up. 

VI.       THE    PROCLAMATION    OF    THE    BISHOPS. 

One  more  step  remained  to  be  taken  to  complete  all 
that  was  requisite  to  put  the  amended  forms  of  the  Con- 
fession and  Constitution  in  full  effect.  This  was  the  official 
proclamation  of  the  bishops  that  the  amendments  had  been 
approved  by  the  requisite  majority  of  the  vote  of  the 
Church.  This  proclamation  was  made  to  the  conference 
on  Monday  morning,  the  13th  day  of  May.  On  the  same 
day  it  was  also  published  to  the  Church  at  large  through 
the  official  organs,  the  Religious  Telescope  and  the  Frohliche 
Botschafter.     The  following  is  the  proclamation  : 

The  Board  of  Bis7i02)s  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ  to  the  said  Church  at  large  and  its  General  Conference 
assembled: 

Brethren  Beloved  :  In  accordance  with  resolution  2,  under  pro- 
viso 2,  of  the  Church  Commission,  enacted  by  the  General  Confer- 
ence   of   the    Church    of    the    United    Brethren    in    Christ    which 


382  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

convened  on  the  12th  day  of  May,  1885,  m  the  city  of  Fostoria, 
Ohio,  which  resolution  is  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  when,  according  to  the  foregoing  provisions,  the 
result  of  tlie  vote  of  the  Church  shows  that  two-thirds  of  ail  the 
votes  cast  have  been  given  in  approval  of  the  proposed  Confession 
of  Faith  and  Constitution,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  bishops  to 
publish  and  proclaim  said  result  through  the  official  organs  of  the 
Church  •  whereupon  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Constitution  thus 
ratified  and  adopted  shall  become  the  fundamental  belief  and  organic 
law  of  this  Church, 

We,  the  bishops,  having  duly  received  the  report  of  the  Board 
of  Tellers  appointed  to  count  the  vote,  do  hereby  publish  and  pro- 
claim the  result  of  the  vote  of  the  Church  in  accord  with  the 
provisions  of  the  General  Conference  of  1885,  and  also  in  accord 
with  the  provisions  of  the  amended  Constitution  itself.  Article  V., 
Section  2,  which  result  is  as  follows: 

[Here  follow  the  official  figures  showing  the  vote  on  each  separate 
proposition,  with  the  majorities  in  each  case,  and  the  number  neces- 
sary to  adopt.    They  are  the  same  as  given  on  page  376.] 

And  the  result  being  t\\e  required  two-thirds,  we  do  hereby  publish 
and  proclaim  the  document  thus  voted  to  be  the  Confession  of  Faith 
and  Constitution  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ, 
and  we  hereby  pass  from  under  the  old  and  legislate  under  the 
amended  Constitution.  J-  Weaver. 

J.  Dickson. 

N.  Castle. 

E.  B.  Kephakt. 

D.  K.  Feickinger. 
York,  Pennsylvania,  May  13,  1889. 

The  proclamation  was  read  by  Bishop  Kephart.  The 
reading  was  listened  to  with  the  most  profound  interest 
by  the  conference  and  the  many  visitors  who  filled  the 
large  hall  to  hear  the  official  proclamation.  The  moment 
was  felt  to  be  one  laden  with  the  deepest  significance  as 
related  to  the  future  of  the  Church. 

The  proclamation,  it  will  be  observed,  was  signed  by 
five  of  the  six  bishops  of  the  Church. 

VII.      A   DRAMATIC  SCENE THE   SECESSION  OF  THE  RADICALS. 

When  the  reading  had  been  completed,  there  occurred 
a    scene    of    much    interest,    of    which    the    official    pub- 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFEBENCE—1889     383 

lished  "Proceedings"  do  not  take  immediate  notice, 
the  occurrence  not  being  a  part  of  the  regular  proceed- 
ings of  the  conference.  As  soon  as  Bishop  Kephart  had 
resumed  his  seat,  the  bishop  whose  name  was  not  attached 
to  the  prochxmation,  Bishop  MiUon  Wright,  with  fourteen 
others  of  the  twenty  who  had  previously  voted  against 
approval,  arose  and  left  the  hall.  These  fifteen  men 
immediately  proceeded  to  the  Park  Opera  House,  in  the 
city  of  York,  which  had  previously  been  secured  for  the 
purpose,  where  they  assumed  to  continue  the  morning 
session  of  the  conference,  and  so  on  through  their  several 
sittings  until  they  finally  adjourned.  They  further  assumed 
to  be  the  General  Conference  from  the  beginning,  on  the 
9th  day  of  May,  and  as  such  to  be  the  true  and  only 
representatives  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ,  and  that  the  General  Conference  from  which  they 
had  withdrawn  was  not  the  General  Conference  of  the 
Church.  As  their  number  was  only  fifteen,  and  the  num- 
ber of  annual  conferences  which  they  assumed  to  represent 
was  forty-nine,  they  proceeded  to  fill  vacancies  from  such 
persons  as  were  present,  until  their  number  was  increased 
to  about  thirty.  Upon  the  assumption  that  they  were 
the  true  General  Conference  of  the  Church,  they  elected 
persons  to  fill  the  general  offices  of  the  Church,  as  bishops, 
editors,  publishing  agent,  missionary  and  other  secretaries 
and  treasurers,  and  the  various  church  boards.  They  pro- 
ceeded upon  the  very  extraordinary  presumption  that  the 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  members,  including  five  bishops, 
who  continued  in  their  seats  and  in  the  proper  and 
orderly  discharge  of  their  duties,  constituted  no  longer 
the  General  Conference  of  the  Church,  but  had,  by  placing 
the  seal  of  their  approval  upon  the  various  revisionary  and 
amendatory  steps,  including  the  nearly  unanimous  vote 
of  the  Church,  separated  themselves  from  the  Church,  and 


384  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

that  thenceforth  all  their  transactions  possessed  no  longer 
any  validity  or  binding  power. 

VIII.       THE    WITHDRAWAL    RECOGNIZED. 

The  General  Conference  deemed  it  proper  to  recognize 
in  an  official  way  the  withdrawal  of  these  members  of  the 
conference,  and  in  the  forenoon  of  Tuesday,  May  14,  the 
following  action  was  taken  : 

Whereas,  Milton  Wright,  a  bishop ;  J.  K.  Alwood,  W.  H.  Clay, 
and  C.  H.  Kiracofe,  delegates  from  North  Ohio  Conference;  H.  T. 
Barnaby  and  W.  S.  Titus,  delegates  from  Michigan  Conference; 
C.  L.  AVood  and  G.  A.  Bowles,  delegates  from  North  Michigan 
Conference;  C.  Bender,  a  delegate  from  Rock  River  Conference; 
A.  Bennett,  a  delegate  from  Oregon  Conference;  A.  W.  Geeslin, 
a  delegate  from  Missouri  Conference,  and  Halleck  Floyd,  a  delegate 
from  White  River  Conference,  have  actively  participated  in  the 
proceedings  of  this  body  from  its  organization  on  the  ninth  day 
of  May  instant  until  the  close  of  the  third  day's  session ;  and 

Whereas,  The  bishop  and  these  delegates  have  vacated  their 
seats  in  this  body  and  have  joined  in  the  formation  of  another 
church  organization,  outside  and  separate  and  apart  from  the  place 
properly  and  officially  occupied  by  this  the  lawfully  elected  General 
Conference  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ; 
therefore. 

Resolved^  That  the  aforesaid  persons  are  hereby  declared  as  having 
irregularly  withdrawn  from  this  body  and  the  Church,  and  are,  in 
view  of  the  facts  above  recited,  no  longer  ministers  or  members 
of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 

The  question  being  asked  why  the  names  of  all  of  the 
members  from  the  White  River  Conference  did  not  appear 
in  this  paper,  it  was  explained  that  by  the  report  of  the 
Committee  on  Credentials  only  one  of  them  was  legally 
entitled  to  a  seat.  The  others  could  not  withdraw  from 
the  conference.  The  reader  will  also  here  note  that  five 
of  the  twenty  who  voted  against  the  report  on  the  Com- 
mission work  did  not  go  with  the  seceders,  but  retained 
their  places  in  the  conference  and  the  Church.  From 
various  considerations  they  did  not  approve  the  Commis- 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1889      385 

sion  movement,  but  they  had  no  sympathy  with  secession. 
Among  these  was  Ex-Bishop  D.  Shuck,  of  Cahfornia. 

IX.       PROTESTS    AGAINST    THE    COMMISSION    WORK. 

One  more  paper  must  here  be  introduced  as  part  of  the 
official  history  of  this  period.  Soon  after  the  pubhcation 
of  the  revised  Confession  and  amended  Constitution,  in 
January,  1886,  petitions  and  memorials  against  its  adop- 
tion were  put  into  circulation  throughout  the  Church,  the 
purpose  of  which  was  to  ask  the  General  Conference  of 
1889  to  give  its  voice  against  approval.  These  papers 
were  brought  to  the  General  Conference,  and  referred  to 
the  appropriate  connnittee,  of  which  Ex-Bishop  Shuck 
was  chairman.  Mr.  Shuck,  from  this  committee,  on  the 
sixth  day  of   the  session,  submitted  the  following  report  : 

1.  We  find  that  the  petitions  submitted  to  us  come  from  forty- 
one  conferences,  aggregating  16,282  petitioners. 

2.  Said  petitions  have  been  in  circulation  for  three  years,  contain 
names  of  parties  who  are  dead,  of  parties  who  are  not  members  of 
the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  names  of  persons  who 
voted  for  the  revised  Confession  of  Faith  and  amended  Constitution. 

But  notwithstanding  said  irregularities,  adding  the  number  of 
petitioners  to  the  number  of  votes  cast  against  the  Commission  act, 
there  still  remains  a  respectable  two-thirds  majority  in  favor  of  the 
revised  Confession  of  Faith  and  amended  Constitution. 

And  notwithstanding  the  facts  above  referred  to,  we  do  not  call  in 
question  the  integrity  of  or  the  interest  taken  in  the  prosperity  of 
our  Zion  by  the  petitioners.  And  we  would  earnestly  pray  such 
petitioners  and  their  friends  that  they  do  not  hastily  form  their 
conclusions  touching  the  action  of  the  General  Conference  on  the 
work  of  the  Commission;  also,  that  their  interest  in  the  Church 
of  their  choice  remain  undisturbed. 

Your  committee  recommend  that  their  petitions,  with  the  names 
of  the  petitioners,  be  deposited  with  the  publishing  agent  at  Dayton, 
Ohio,  to  be  preserved  by  said  agent  for  future  reference. 

It  may  occur  to  the  reader  that  of  those  voting  against 
the  several  propositions  submitted  to  them,  ranging  from 
3,310    as   the   smallest  to    7,298   as  tlie  largest   minority, 


386  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

probably  much  the  greater  number  were  included  among 
the  16,282  petitioners,  so  that  in  adding  this  number  to 
the  several  minorities  they  must  be  twice  counted. 

X.       MISCELLANEOUS. 

Among  other  important  measures  adopted  by  this  Gen- 
eral Conference  was  one  relating  to  lay  delegation  in  the 
General  Conference.  The  amended  Constitution  making 
provision  for  this,  the  conference  was  now  able  to  take 
this  step,  and  arrangements  were  accordingly  made  for 
the  admission  of  lay  delegates  in  the  General  Conference 
of  1893. 

It  had  long  been  the  practice  of  the  Church  to  permit 
women,  who  felt  themselves  to  be  divinely  impelled,  to 
speak  from  the  platform  or  j^ulpit,  but  until  now  no 
provision  had  been  made  for  ordaining  them  to  the  sacred 
office  of  ministers.  The  number  of  women  wishing  to 
preach  the  word  has  always  been  and  still  is  few,  but 
this  conference  placed  upon  record  distinct  action  defining 
their  status.     The  following  w^as  adopted  : 

Not  wishing  to  hinder  any  Christian  who  may  be  moved  by  the 
Holy  Spmt  to  labor  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  for  the  salvation  of 
souls,  it  is  ordered  that  whenever  anj-  godly  woman  presents  herself 
before  the  quarterly  or  annual  conference  as  an  applicant  for 
authority  to  preach  the  gospel  among  us,  she  may  be  granted 
license,  provided  she  complies  with  the  usual  conditions  required 
of  men  who  wish  to  enter  the  ministry  of  our  Church.  When 
such  person  shall  have  passed  the  required  examination  before  the 
regular  committees,  she  may,  after  the  usual  probation,  be  ordained. 

The  proposition  to  establish  a  quarterly  publication,  to  be 
called  the  United  Brethren  Quarterly  Review y  was  con- 
sidered and  adopted. 

A  Historical  Society  for  the  Church  having  been  organ- 
ized some  years  previously,  the  conference,  on  a  memorial 
from  the  society,  adopted  the  following : 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1889     387 

111  view  of  the  iiiereasiiig  importance  to  be  attached  to  securing 
and  preserving  the  papers,  letters,  relics,  etc.,  connected  with  our 
church  fathers  and  church  life. 

Resolved^  That  this  General  Conference  hereby  otficially  recog- 
nizes the  Historical  Society  of  which  Bishop  Kephart  is  now  presi- 
dent, as  the  Historical  Society  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ ;  and  that  said  society  shall  through  its  officers  make  a 
quadrennial  report  to  the  General  Conference. 

Bishops  Weaver,  Kephart,  Castle,  and  Dickson  were  re- 
elected. J.  W.  Hott  was  elected  as  bishop  for  the  Pacific 
Coast  District.  W.  J.  Shuey  was  continued  as  publishing 
agent.  I.  L.  Kephart  was  elected  editor  of  the  Religious 
Telescope,  with  M.  R.  Drury  reelected  as  associate.  D.  Berger 
was  continued  as  editor  of  Sunday-school  literature,  W. 
Mittendorf  as  editor  of  the  German  periodicals,  B.  F.  Booth 
as  general  missionary  secretary,  and  W.  McKee  as  general 
missionary  treasurer.  John  Hill  was  elected  secretary  of 
the  Church-Erection  Society,  D.  E.  Miller  was  continued  as 
financial  manager  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  and  J.  W. 
Etter  was  elected  editor  of  the  proposed  Quarterly  Review, 
and  assistant  editor  of  the  Sunday-school  literature. 

XI.       PERSONAL    NOTES. 

James  W.  Hott,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

That  was  a  wise  choice  which  the  General  Conference 
made  when  it  added  Dr.  James  W.  Hott  to  the  episcopal 
board.  He  was  in  the  full  vigor  of  early  middle  life, 
being  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  had  attained 
the  ripe  maturity  of  a  strong  intellectual  manhood.  He 
possessed  the  advantages  gained  through  a  broad  and 
varied  experience  as  preacher  and  editor,  and  by  exten- 
sive travel  in  our  own  and  foreign  countries.  To  this 
he  added  a  fervent  devotion  to  the  Church  in  which  he 
was  born,  and  to  which  he  had  hitherto  given  his  life  in 
unremitting  service. 


388  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Bishop  Hott  was  born  some  miles  from  Winchester,  in 
Frederick  County,  Virginia,  on  November  15,  1844.  He 
was  of  United  Brethren  parentage,  his  father,  Jacob  F.  Hott, 
being  a  minister  in  the  Virginia  Conference,  and  his  mother, 
who  is  still  living,  being  a  woman  of  devout  spirit  and 
strong  mental  and  moral  endowments.  Of  the  eight  cliil- 
dren  born  to  them  six  were  sons,  four  of  them  becoming 
ministers,  and  a  fifth  dying  while  preparing  for  the  same 
work.  One,  C.  M.  Hott,  after  twenty-two  years  in  the 
active  ministry,  closed  his  earthly  life  at  Woodbridge,  Cal- 
ifornia. The  bishop's  early  education  was  chiefly  obtained 
in  the  excellent  private  schools  near  his  home,  and  in  his 
father's  well-chosen  library.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
was  converted  and  received  into  the  Church  under  the 
labors  of  the  late  Rev.  Isaiah  Baltzell.  He  became  a 
diligent  Bible  student,  reading  and  re-reading  the  sacred 
volume  through  by  the  light  of  the  blazing  pine  knots 
in  the  great  kitchen  fireplace.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
preached  his  first  sermon.  His  first  license  to  preach, 
dated  April  8,  1861,  was  signed  by  Bishop  IMarkwood.  In 
the  February  following,  1862,  he  joined  the  Virginia  Con- 
ference. In  1864  he  was  ordained  by  Bishops  Glossbren- 
ner  and  Markwood.  The  War  had  broken  out  when  he 
commenced  his  ministerial  work,  and  he  shared  to  the 
fullest  extent  the  perils  to  which  ministers  were  exposed 
in  traveling  over  their  large  circuits.  His  journeys  kept 
him  constantly  crossing  the  border,  so  that  he  was  now 
within  the  Union  and  now  within  the  Confederate  lines. 
He  procured  passes  from  both  sides  as  his  duties  required, 
and  though  frequently  arrested  by  Confederate  conscription 
officers,  and  sometimes  held  up  by  freebooters,  he  passed 
through  all  in  safety.  The  Confederate  Government  ex- 
empted ministers  from  enforced  military  service,  and  when 
arrested    by   the    officers    he    was    uniformly    released    on 


THE  TWENTIETH  GENERAL  CONFERENCE -1889     389 

satisfying  them  that  he  was  a  minister.  Through  all 
this  service  during  the  War  and  afterward  his  labors 
were  greatly  blessed.  The  first  three  years  were  spent 
on  one  circuit,  where  he  and  his  colleague  gathered  over 
six  hundred  souls  into  the  Lord's  garner. 

In  1869   he  was  a  delegate  to  the  General   Conference 
at   Lebanon,    Pennsylvania,   being   the   youngest   member 
of  the  body.     In  1873,  at  the  General  Conference  in  Day- 
ton, he  was  elected  general  missionary  treasurer.     He  was 
then  on  the  radical   side  of  the   exciting   question   which 
had  four  years  previously  been  made  an  issue  in  one  elec- 
tion, and  was  chosen  in  preference  to  Mr.  McKee,  who  was 
a  liberal.     Four  years  of  experience  in  mingling  with  min- 
isters and  people  broadly  through  the  Church  in  the  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  his  office,  led  to  material  modification 
of  his  sentiments,  and  in  1877,  at  Westfield,  he  was  elected 
editor  of  the  Beligious  Telescope.     Under  his  wise  adminis- 
tration the  paper  was  relieved  of  the  intense  radicalism 
which    for   the    previous    eight   years   had    dominated    its 
columns,  and  of  which  many  who  w^ere  classed  as  radicals 
had  become  weary.     For  twelve  years  he  conducted   the 
paper  with  great  acceptability  to  the   Church.     The   con- 
ference of  1881  chose  him,  in  connection  with  Dr.  H.  A. 
Thompson,   as   a   delegate   to   the    Methodist   Ecumenical 
Conference  in  London.     From  this  visit  he  took  occasion 
to  extend  his  journey  across  the  Continent  to  Syria,  Pal- 
estine, and  Egypt,  tlie  result  of  which  was  the  production 
of  the  valuable  volume,  '^  Journeyings  in  the  Old  World." 
In  1889,  after  these  sixteen  years  of  effective  service,  the 
General    Conference    laid    upon    him    the    yet    higher    re- 
sponsibility of  a  bishop  in  the  Church. 

Bishop  Hott  is  known  throughout  the  denomination  as 
an  able  preacher,  writer,  and  presiding  officer.  In  the  latter 
capacity  he  has  abundantly  demonstrated  his  strength  by 


390  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

his  clear  grasp  and  thorough  apphcation  of  parhamentary 
law,  as  well  as  by  his  urbane  dealing  with  members  in 
the  progress  of  business.  In  the  councils  of  the  bishops, 
as  well  as  in  the  General  and  annual  conferences,  the 
soundness  of  his  judgment  is  fully  recognized.  As  a  writer 
he  is  warm,  earnest,  and  pleasing,  expressing  himself  often 
with  an  attractive  glow  that  appeals  strongly  to  the  heart. 
In  the  pulpit  and  in  public  addresses  on  the  platform  he 
has  everywhere  the  warmest  welcome.  His  style  as  a 
preacher  may  be  said  to  be  peculiarly  his  own,  but  it 
wins  its  way  to  the  judgment  and  heart  of  every  hearer. 
Many  of  his  passages  rise  to  the  plane  of  true  eloquence, 
and  are  uttered  with  thrilling  power  and  effectiveness. 

His  duties  as  a  bishop  call  him  widely  to  and  fro — 
recently  across  the  sea  to  the  mission  fields  of  Germany 
and  Africa.  His  present  home  is  supposed  to  be  at  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  but  he  rests  chiefly,  when  rest  is  taken, 
with  his  wife,  in  the  home  of  one  or  another  of  his  three 
daughters,  all  of  whom  are  married  to  ministers. 


CHAPTER   XXII 
A   PERIOD    OF    LITIGATION 

I.      THE    PUBLISHING   HOUSE   SUIT. 

As  WAS  anticipated  when  the  seceders  withdrew  from 
the  General  Conference  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
fourth  day  of  the  session,  they  went  out  and  organized 
themselves  into  a  body  which  they  claimed  to  be  the 
General  Conference  of  the  Church,  and  further  assumed 
to  act  in  the  name  of  and  for  the  Church,  and  under 
this  assumption  elected  persons  to  fill  the  various  general 
offices  and  boards  of  the  Church.  In  pursuance  of  these 
assumptions  it  was  expected  that  they  would  also,  in 
due  time,  lay  claim  to  all  property,  of  whatever  kind, 
belonging  to  the  Church.  It  was  not  long  until  this 
expectation  began  to  be  realized.  And  thus  began,  not 
long  after  the  adjournment  of  the  conference  of  1889,  in 
the  civil  courts,  a  contest  which  involved  so  much  annoy- 
ance and  trouble,  and  so  great  an  outlay  of  time,  money, 
labor,  and  anxiety,  as  to  prove  exceedingly  harassing  to 
the  Church  generally.  This  struggle  continued  until,  after 
years  of  effort,  the  decision  of  the  highest  court  in  one 
State  after  another  had  overthrown  the  last  hope  of  the 
seceders  for  success. 

The  first  formal  claim  for  the  possession  of  church 
property  was  made  when,  one  day  in  July,  1889,  Ex- 
Bishop  Milton  Wright,  who  claimed  to  be  the  publishing 
agent  for  the  Church,  appeared  at  the  office  of  the  United 
Brethren    Publishing    House,  and   served   upon   the   pub- 


392  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

lisher,  William  J.  Shuey,  a  written  notice  demanding 
possession  of  the  House,  with  all  its  appurtenances,  includ- 
ing real  estate,  machinery,  stocks,  accounts,  the  keys  to 
the  House  and  safes,  and  all  property  of  whatever  kind 
belonging  to  the  House.  The  demand  was  refused,  and 
immediately  thereafter  the  board  of  trustees,  of  which 
body  David  L.  Hike  was  president,  filed  a  petition  in  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  :Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  for 
the  quieting  of  the  title  in  their  favor.  Halleck  Floyd 
being  president  of  the  pretended  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Publishing  House,  the  case  became  known  in  the  court 
records  as  D.  L.  Rike  et  al,  Trustees,  v.  Halleck  Floyd  et  al. 
To  the  petition  of  D.  L.  Rike  and  others  Halleck  Floyd 
and  others  filed  their  answer. 

After  several  preliminary  motions  and  postponements 
the  defendants,  in  March,  1890,  made  apphcation  to  the 
United  States  District  Court  at  Cincinnati  for  removal  from 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  ^Montgomery  County  on  the 
ground  of  local  prejudice.  Judge  Sage,  of  the  United  States 
District  Court,  overruled  the  application  for  removal. 

Finally  the  case  came  on  for  hearing,  December  4,  1890, 
before  Judge  Henderson  Elliott,  of  the  Common  Pleas 
Court  of  Montgomery  County.  After  hearing  and  refusing 
two  motions  of  the  defendants,  and  listening  to  the  plead- 
ings of  both  parties,  the  judge,  by  mutual  consent  and  at 
the  request  of  counsel  for  the  defendants,  entered  a  decree, 
pro  forma,  in  favor  of  the  plaintiffs,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  the  case  be  carried  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  the 
said  County  of  Montgomery. 

The  trial  before  the  Circuit  Court,  to  which  appeal  was 
taken  by  the  radicals,  began  on  June  17,  1891.  The 
presiding  judges  were  Charles  C.  Shearer,  of  Xenia,  Ohio, 
Gilbert  H.  Stewart,  of  Columbus,  and  James  M.  Smith,  of 
Lebanon,  Ohio,  the  last  named  sitting  in  place  of  Judge 


A  PERIOD  OF  LITIGATION  393 

J.  A.  Shauck,  who,  as  a  trustee  of  the  estabhshment,  was 
one  of  the  plaintiffs  in  the  case.     Counsel  of  high  distinc- 
tion for  ability  was  retained   on  both  sides,  the  attorneys 
for  the  Church  being  Hon.  Lewis  B.  Gunckel  and  Hon. 
John  A.  McMahon.     Among  the  attorneys  for  the  defend- 
ants   was    Judge    William    Lawrence,    for    whom    special 
eminence  as  an  ecclesiastical   lawyer  was  claimed.     Xine 
days  were  spent  in  the   trial,  seven   in   presenting    docu- 
mentary   and     oral     testimony,    and    two    in    argument. 
Among   the   witnesses    for   the   plaintiffs   were   Bishop   J. 
Weaver,  Bishop  E.   B.    Kephart,  Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  Prof. 
J.    P.    Landis,   Rev.  W.    J.    Shuey,   Rev.    D.   Berger,  Rev. 
William    McKee,    Rev.    B.    F.    Booth,    and    Rev.    G.    M. 
Mathews;    for   the   radicals,    Bishop   Milton  Wright,   Rev. 
C.    H.    Kiracofe,    Rev.    Halleck    Floyd,,   and    others.     A 
number  of  depositions  were  introduced — for  the  Church, 
those  of  Dr.  Philip  Schaff,  of  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York    City,  Dr.  James  Strong,   of  Drew   Theological 
Seminary,    and    Bishop   J.    M.    Walden,  of  the   Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  ;    for  the  seceders,  those  of  Dr.  Herrick 
Johnson,  of  Chicago,    Dr.  J.   G.   Carson,    of  Xenia,    Ohio, 
Dr.  Willis  K.  Beecher  and  Dr.  Sprague,  of  Auburn,  New 
York,  and  Dr.  Lewis  Davis. 

In  this  trial  a  wide  field  was  covered,  and  every  inch 
of  ground  was  contested  with  distinguished  ability.  The 
importance  of  the  case  was  fully  comprehended  not  only 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  large  amount  of  property 
directly  involved,  but  from  the  probable  bearings  of  the 
decision  in  this  case  upon  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of 
other  property.  The  main  point  sought  to  be  established 
by  the  radicals  was  that  the  Church,  through  its  adoption 
of  an  amended  Constitution  and  revised  Confession  of 
Faith,  had  ceased  to  be  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ  and  had  become  another  and  different  churcli  — 


394  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

that  the  Confession  had  ceased  to  be  Arminian  and  had 
become  Calvinistic ;  that  the  General  Conference  which 
elected  the  publishing  agent  and  trustees  was  not  the 
General  Conference  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
that  therefore  the  publishing  agent  and  trustees  now 
holding  the  property  were  not  entitled  to  such  possession  ; 
and  that  they  themselves,  as  elected  by  the  small  body  of 
seceders  who  left  their  seats  in  the  General  Conference 
and  organized  for  the  transaction  of  General  Conference 
business,  were  the  rightful  representatives  of  the  Church, 
and  as  such  entitled  to  hold  and  control  the  property. 

It  would  be  a  wearisome  task  to  place  in  review  before 
the  reader  the  methods  resorted  to,  the  arguments  used, 
and  the  sophistries  employed  to  establish  these  claims.  It 
will  be  sufficient  to  say  that  the  findings  of  facts  and  the 
legal  opinion  and  decree  of  the  court  were  a  complete 
overthrow  of  all  that  was  claimed  by  the  radicals.  The 
very  able  rendering  of  the  court  was  unanimously  con- 
curred in  by  the  three  judges. 

The  case  was  carried  on  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Ohio.  Four  years  elapsed  before  it  was  reached  in  the 
course  of  business  before  that  high  tribunal.  The  day  for 
hearing  was  set  for  the  13th  of  June,  1895.  An  exhaust- 
ive examination  was  here  made  by  a  full  bench,  except- 
ing Judge  Shauck,  who  had  then  become  a  member  of 
that  body,  but  did  not  sit  in  the  case.  This  court  regarded 
the  reasonings  and  conclusions  of  the  Circuit  Court  as  being 
so  thorough  and  satisfactory  that  it  did  not  deem  it  neces- 
sary that  a  new  finding  of  facts  or  opinion  should  be 
written.  On  June  27,  1895,  it  handed  down  its  decision, 
in  which  it  declared :  "The  case  has  been  fully  and 
exhaustively  considered  in  the  opinion  of  the  Circuit  Court, 
as  announced  by  Shearer,  J.  .  .  .  We  fully  affirm  the 
reasoning  of  the  court  and  the  conclusions  there  rendered. 


A  PERIOD  OF  LITIGATION  395 

Judgment  affirmed."  The  court  was  unanimous  in  this 
decision.  For  some  of  the  essential  points  in  Judge 
Shearer's  lengthy  and  very  able  rendering,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  Appendix  II. 

An  incident  of  the  Circuit  Court,  as  illustrating  the 
temper  of  the  judges  in  the  case,  is  well  worth  recording. 
When  the  long  strain  of  the  trial  was  at  last  relieved  by 
the  rendering  of  the  court,  there  w^as  naturally  a  feeling 
of  pleasure  on  the  part  of  those  who  were  vindicated,  and 
Mr.  Shuey,  in  speaking  with  Judge  Shearer,  thanked  him 
for  the  decision.  The  judge,  with  a  quiet  smile,  but  an  air 
of  unmistakable  firmness,  replied:  "You  need  not  thank 
me  for  it.  If  the  facts  had  been  the  other  way,  I  would 
have  given  it  against  you  in  cold  blood." 

II.       OTHER    SUPREME    COURT    DECISIONS. 

In  seven  other  States,  namely,  Indiana,  Pennsylvania, 
Oregon,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Michigan,  and  California,  suits 
have  been  carried  up  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and  in  all  of 
these  except  the  last  named  the  decision  of  this  final 
tribunal  has  been  rendered.  Five  of  these  courts  gave 
their  judgment  in  favor  of  the  Church ;  one,  that  of 
Michigan,  in  favor  of  the  radicals.  In  California  a  case 
on  appeal  is  pending. 

The  case  before  the  Indiana  Supreme  Court  came  up 
on  appeal  from  Wayne  County  in  that  State,  in  which  the 
lower  court  had  decided  in  favor  of  the  Church,  the  con- 
tention being  for  the  quieting  of  title  to  a  church-house. 
The  Supreme  Court  consists  of  five  judges,  one  of  whom 
did  not  sit  in  the  case,  having  been  consulted  by  one  of 
the  parties  to  the  suit  previous  to  his  election  to  the 
supreme  bench.  The  decision  of  the  judges  was  unani- 
mous.    It  was  handed  down  on  November  6,  1891. 

The  case  in  Pennsylvania  was  brought  on  appeal  from 


396  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  Common  Pleas  Court  of  Franklin  County.  The 
trustees  of  a  church  had  brought  suit  to  quiet  their 
title  to  a  church-house  in  Greencastle,  in  that  county. 
The  seceders  were  defeated  in  the  lower  court,  and 
appealed  to  the  court  of  last  resort.  The  judges  of  this 
court  are  seven  in  number.  They  gave  a  unanimous 
rendering  confirming  the  decree  of  the  lower  court  in 
favor  of  the  Church.  The  decision  was  rendered  in 
July,  1893. 

In  Oregon  the  contention  was  for  the  possession  of  the 
property  known  as  Philomath  College.  The  history  of 
this  case  is  somewhat  remarkable.  The  Supreme  Court, 
having  once  decided  in  favor  of  the  radicals,  was  petitioned 
for  a  rehearing  by  the  trustees,  which  was  granted,  a  very 
unusual  thing  for  a  Supreme  Court  to  do.  The  court 
consisted  of  three  judges.  One  of  these  had  rendered  a 
most  able  opinion  in  our  favor  in  the  lower  court,  and 
did  not  sit  on  the  case  in  the  Supreme  Court.  One  of  the 
two  remaining  judges  wrote  an  elaborate  and  very  able 
opinion,  giving  the  property  to  the  Church.  The  second 
judge  dissented,  but  wrote  no  opinion.  The  two  being 
unable  to  agree,  the  decree  of  the  lower  court  remained 
undisturbed,  and  the  property  was  left  in  the  possession  of 
the  Church.     The  decision  was  rendered  in  October,  1894. 

In  Illinois  a  suit  was  brought  by  the  seceders  for  the 
possession  of  a  church  in  Livingston  County  in  1891.  The 
case  was  contested  with  great  ability  in  the  Circuit  Court 
of  that  State,  the  decision  being  given  in  favor  of  the 
Church,  in  1892.  It  was  appealed  by  the  radicals  to  the 
Supreme  Court.  This  court  consisted  of  seven  judges. 
The  case  was  submitted  to  them  in  March,  1894.  On 
January  15,  1895,  the  court  handed  down  its  decision,  the 
seven  judges  agreeing.  The  decision  confirmed  the  decree 
of  the  lower  court,  giving  the  property  to  the  Church. 


A  PERIOD  OF  LITIGATION  397 

In  Missouri  a  suit  was  brought  for  the  ejectment  of  a 
radical  minister  from  the  occupancy  of  a  parsonage  prop- 
erty. The  case  was  heard  in  December,  1891.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1892,  the  judge  decided  in  favor  of  the  Church. 
The  case  was  taken  on  appeal  by  the  radicals  to  the 
Supreme  Court.  It  was  heard  on  January  16,  1895.  On 
March  29,  1895,  the  four  judges  sitting  in  the  case  gave 
a  unanimous  decision,  confirming  that  of  the  lower  court. 

In  ^lichigan  the  contest  was  for  the  possession  of  Salem 
Church,  in  Allegan  County.  The  trial  court  decided  the 
case  in  favor  of  the  Church.  The  case  was  carried  up 
on  appeal.  The  court  consisted  of  five  judges.  One  of 
the  number  did  not  sit,  having  been  previously  inter- 
ested. Three  of  the  judges  decided  the  case  in  favor  of 
the  radicals.  One  wrote  an  able  dissenting  opinion.  The 
case  was  filed  in  December,  1893.  In  this  State  a  lower 
court  has  since  given  possession  of  a  church-house  and 
parsonage  to  the  Church,  notwithstanding  the  decision  of 
the  higher  court.  The  case  has  again  been  appealed  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  with  a  changed  bench.  It  is  hoped,  with 
good  reason,  that  the  Supreme  Court  will  correct  its  error. 

In  the  Dominion  of  Canada  a  decision  has  been  rendered, 
in  the  Court  of  Appeal,  of  a  very  important  character  as 
affecting  all  the  property  of  the  Church  in  the  Dominion. 
A  case  in  a  lower  court  was  decided  in  favor  of  the 
radicals.  It  was  carried  on  appeal  to  the  higher  court, 
the  four  judges  sitting  giving  separate  opinions,  but  a  veiy 
thorough  and  unanimous  rendering,  reversing  the  decision 
below.  In  this  case  tlie  radicals  were  represented  by 
the  Hon.  Ex-Yice-Chancellor  Blake,  of  Toronto,  who  is 
acknowledged  to  be  without  a  superior  as  an  advocate  before 
a  court.  In  the  lower  court  he  gained  an  easy  victory  ; 
in  the  higher  court  he  met  with  necessary  defeat,  the  facts 
and  the  law  being  on  the  other  side. 


398  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

A  case  at  the  present  writing  is  pending  in  the  United 
States  Circuit  Court  at  Cincinnati.  There  seems  httle 
hkelihood  that  the  judge  before  whom  it  is  brought  will 
differ  widely  from  the  consensus  of  seven  of  the  high 
tribunals  above  mentioned. 

In  all  these  cases  it  was  felt  that  issues  of  the  highest 
importance  were  involved,  and  no  effort  possible  to  human 
industry  and  skill  was  spared  to  win.  The  side  of  the 
Church  was  defended  with  great  ability  in  nearly  every 
suit,  and  the  radicals  sought  everywhere  the  ablest  counsel 
available.  During  the  tedious  and  wearisome  conflicts 
the  bishops  of  the  Church  and  many  of  its  ministers  and 
laymen  bore  a  portion  of  the  burden.  But  it  is  due  to 
say  that  throughout  all  the  vexatious  litigations  no  other 
one  rendered  the  Church  so  eminent  service  as  was  given 
by  William  J.  Shuey.  As  financial  head  of  the  Publishing 
House,  he  bore  the  chief  strain  of  the  litigation  for  its 
possession,  and  elsewhere,  in  most  of  the  other  suits,  he 
rendered  similar  valuable  assistance.  Next  to  him  in  this 
defense  of  the  Church  and  its  interests  stood  the  venerable 
Bishop  Weaver,  a  tower  of  strength  in  every  court.  Others 
who  were  not  so  constantly  in  the  work  rendered  invalu- 
able aid.  But  now  that  the  troubles  are  about  over,  the 
whole  Church  has  reason  for  profound  gratitude  to  God, 
who  has  led  righteousness  to  triumj)h. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE    TWENTY-FIRST    GENERAL    CONFERENCE  — 1893 

The  General  Conference  of  1893,  the  latest  of  the  series 
at  the  present  writing,  is  of  so  recent  date  that  a  very 
brief  reference  to  it  seems  most  appropriate.  The  con- 
ference was  held  in  the  city  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  commencing 
May  11,  and  continuing  through  twelve  days.  A  very 
large  amount  of  business,  much  of  it  routine,  was  trans- 
acted. The  various  reports  from  the  different  departments 
of  the  Church  indicated  that  encouraging  progress  had 
been  made  during  the  quadrennium.  Discussion  in  the 
papers  presented  took  a  broad  and  instructive  range,  and 
some  of  them  have  a  permanent  value. 

I.       LAY    DELEGATES. 

Two  very  noteworthy  features  marked  this  conference. 
One  of  these  was  the  appearance,  for  the  first  time  in  the 
history  of  the  Church,  of  lay  delegates  on  the  floor  of  the 
conference.  This  was  in  accordance  with  the  provision  in 
the  amended  Constitution  of  the  Church  which  declares  that 
the  "General  Conference  .  .  .  shall  consist  of  elders  and 
laymen."  This  feature  of  the  Constitution  having  become 
operative  after  the  conference  of  1889,  delegates  from  the 
laity  were  chosen  in  the  ratio  determined  by  that  con- 
ference. The  number  of  ministerial  and  lay  delegates  was, 
respectively,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  and  seventy- 
two.  It  is  of  special  interest  also  to  record  the  fact  that 
among  the  lay  delegates  two  were  women.  "Women  had 
always  possessed  the  right  to  vote  in  elections  for  delegates 


400  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

to  the  General  Conference,  as  well  as  for  local  church  offi- 
cers, and  had  also  been  admitted  to  seats  in  the  annual 
conferences.  And  now  the  right  to  sit  as  members  in  the 
General  Conference  was  exercised  unchallenged,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  Book  of  Discipline  contains  no 
distinct  provision  in  which  they  are  named  as  being  eligible. 
The  returns  of  elections  of  delegates  for  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  ^lay,  1897,  indicate  that  nine  women  have  been 
elected  as  delegates  to  that  conference.  The  admission  of 
women  to  membership  in  this  highest  body  of  the  Church 
is  in  harmony  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  age,  and 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  most  fitting  in  a  church  in  whose 
best  activities  women  are  so  largely  engaged. 

II.       TIME    LIMIT    REMOVED. 

A  second  feature  which  will  make  the  conference  one 
of  special  historical  interest  was  the  elimination,  from  the 
Book  of  Discipline,  of  the  time  limit  as  applying  to  the 
pastorate.  On  this  point  the  Discipline  had  always  been 
liberal,  providing  that  by  special  approval  of  the  annual 
conference  ministers  might  be  returned  for  a  longer  term 
of  years  than  was  fixed  in  the  general  limitations.  By 
the  action  of  this  General  Conference  all  limitation  is 
swept  away,  except  that  appointments  must  still  be  made 
for  a  single  year  at  a  time. 

In  the  election  for  general  superintendents.  Bishops 
Castle,  Kephart,  and  Hott  were  reelected,  and  J.  S.  Mills 
was  added  to  the  episcopal  board.  Bishop  AVeaver,  as 
previously  noted,  being  elected  bishop  emeritus. 

III.       PERSONAL    NOTES. 

/.  8.  Mills,  D.D.,  Ph.D. 

Bishop  J.  S.  Mills,  the  latest  accession  to  that  company 
upon  whom  the  General    Conference   bestows   its   highest 


THE  TWENTY-FIRST  GENERAL  CONFERENCE— 1893    401 

distinctions,  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,  on 
February  28,  1848,  His  father  was  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  but  soon  after  marriage  he,  with  his  wife,  joined 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  The  bishoj^'s  early  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  the  neighborhood  common  schools, 
with  two  years  in  an  academy.  Later  he  spent  four  years 
in  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  from  which  he  sub- 
sequently received  the  degrees  of  A.M.  and  Ph.D.  on 
examination.  He  was  converted  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
joined  the  Scioto  Conference  two  years  later,  in  1868,  and 
was  ordained  in  1871.  When  the  Central  Ohio  Conference 
was  formed,  in  1878,  he  became  a  member  of  that  body, 
and  in  1890  he  transferred  his  membershijD  to  the  Iowa 
Conference.  On  entering  the  ministry  he  served  on 
circuits,  stations,  and  as  presiding  elder,  his  last  pastoral 
charge  being  the  Otterbein  University  church,  to  which 
he  gave  six  years  of  service.  From  Otterbein  he  was 
called  to  AVestern  College,  which  institution  he  served 
for  six  years,  three  years  as  a  professor  and  three  as  its 
president. 

Bishop  Mills  is  a  man  of  strong  mental  endowments  and 
of  recognized  culture.  He  is  a  close  thinker,  and  possesses 
in  fine  degree  the  power  of  exact  expression.  In  sermon 
or  other  address  his  speech  is  characterized  by  elegant 
finish,  never  redundant,  nor  yet  too  concise,  the  right  word 
always  in  the  right  place.  He  leads  a  close  student  life  so 
far  as  pubHc  duties  permit,  is  fond  of  scientific  and  meta- 
physical inquiry,  and  is  interested  in  the  great  social  prob- 
lems of  the  day.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science,  and  an  associate 
member  of  the  Iowa  Academy  of  Science. 

In  the  allotment  of  episcopal  residences  Bishop  Mills 
was  assigned  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  so  that  his  present  home 
is   in    Eugene,   Oregon.     His  field,  however,  like  that  of 

26 


402  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  other  bishops,  is  the  entire  Church.  At  the  present 
writing  he  is  making  a  visit  to  the  foreign  fields  in  Ger- 
many and  Africa.  The  bishop  is  the  youngest  member 
of  the  Board  of  Bishops,  is  usually  in  excellent  health 
and  vigor,  and  large  possibilities  of  future  service  lie 
before  him. 


PART  II 
DEPARTMENTS  OF  CHURCH  WORK 


PART  II 
DEPARTMENTS  OF  CHURCH  WORK 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE 

It  was  a  wise  step  when  the  General  Conference,  in 
1833,  resolved  to  found  for  the  Church  a  publishing  house 
which  should  be  under  central  and  official  control.  It  was 
an  early  period  for  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  to  be 
undertaken,  only  a  few  of  the  now  great  religious  pub- 
lishing houses  having  then  been  organized. 

I.       PRIVATE    ENTERPRISE. 

Previous  to  1834  all  printing  done  for  the  Church  was 
by  private  enterprise,  and  consisted  chiefly  of  such  pub- 
lications as  met  an  immediate  demand — principally  Dis- 
ciplines and  hymn-books.  The  first  printed  Discipline, 
that  of  1815,  was  printed  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  in 
1816,  by  John  F.  Koch,  in  the  German  language.  That 
of  1817,  also  in  German,  was  printed  by  John  Armbrust 
&  Co.,  at  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  1819  it  was 
reprinted  in  German  and  English  on  opposite  pages,  by 
Gruber  &  May,  at  Hagerstown.  The  succeeding  Disci- 
plines for  each  quadrennium  up  to  and  including  1833 
were  printed  in  like  manner  by  different  persons  in 
different  cities.  After  1837  all  the  Disciplines  were  printed 
by  the  Church  publishing  house. 

405 


406  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  publication  of  hymn-books  for  the  Church  was 
accomphshed  in  the  same  manner,  by  individual  enter- 
prise. The  first  book  of  this  kind  was  published  by  order 
of  the  Conference  of  1807,  held  in  Lancaster  County, 
Pennsylvania.  It  was  compiled  by  George  A.  Guething, 
and  printed  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  in  1808.  It 
contained  two  hundred  hymns.  The  book  was  in  the 
German  language.  The  second  was  compiled  by  Henry 
Evinger  and  Thomas  Winters,  of  the  Miami  Conference, 
also  in  German.  It  was  published  in  1815.  The  third, 
the  first  hymn-book  in  the  English  language,  was  compiled 
by  Rev.  James  T.  Stewart,  also  of  the  Miami  Conference. 
It  was  printed  in  Cincinnati  in  1826.  A  fourth,  prepared 
by  Jacob  Antrim,  of  the  Miami  Conference,  containing 
three  hundred  and  thirty-two  hymns,  was  printed  in  1829 
by  a  firm  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  A  revision  of  a  German 
hymn-book,  by  Jacob  Erb,  authorized  by  the  General 
Conference,  followed.  A  sixth  book,  in  English,  by  Wil- 
liam R.  Rhinehart  and  Jacob  Erb,  under  the  authorization 
of  the  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  conferences,  was  printed 
in  1833.  This  passed  afterward  under  the  control  of  the 
General  Conference,  and  continued  in  use  until  1849,  when 
it  was  displaced  by  a  revised  collection  ordered  by  the 
General  Conference  of  1845. 

The  field  of  periodical  publication  was  first  entered  by 
the  courageous  but  inexperienced  Aaron  Farmer,  of  the 
Miami  Conference.  In  1829,  at  Salem,  Indiana,  he  sent 
forth  the  pioneer  journal,  Zion's  Advocate,  under  special 
restrictions  by  the  conference  as  to  doctrinal  teaching, 
"unprofitable  controversy,"  and  so  on.  There  was  slight 
need  for  this  embargo  on  the  liberty  of  journalism,  for 
the  publication,  in  character  quite  satisfactory  to  its  read- 
ers, soon  perished  for  lack  of  funds.  In  1833  the  Mountain 
Messenger  made  its  appearance  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland, 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     407 

with  William  R.  Rhinehart  as  proprietor  and  editor.  It 
was  saved  from  probable  like  disaster  by  being  merged 
into  the  official  publication  undertaken  soon  afterward. 

II.       THE    PUBLISHING    HOUSE    ORGANIZED. 

The  appearance  of  these  early  publications  served  to 
emphasize  the  need  of  something  better  for  the  Church,  a 
paper  which  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  General 
Conference,  and  receive  the  patronage  of  the  entire  Church. 
In  the  General  Conference  of  1833  the  subject  received 
appropriate  attention,  among  the  foremost  advocates  of 
such  an  enterprise  being  Rev.  John  Russel,  afterward 
Bishop  Russel.  The  conference  being  held  in  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  near  the  town  of  Circleville,  that  place  was 
chosen  for  its  location,  and  Mr.  Russel,  Jonathan  Dres- 
bach,  and  George  Dresbach  were  elected  trustees  for  the 
enterprise,  with  instructions  to  solicit  donations,  secure 
subscriptions,  and  proceed  to  publish  the  proposed  paper. 
It  was  ordered  that  the  paper  be  "devoted  to  religious, 
moral,  and  literary  intelligence." 

The  trustees  proceeded  cautiously  in  the  discharge  of 
their  duties,  and  it  was  not  until  the  31st  of  December, 
1834,  more  than  a  year  and  a  half  from  the  time  it  was 
ordered,  that  the  first  number  of  the  new  paper  appeared. 
It  was  issued  under  the  title  which  it  has  since  retained 
unchanged — Tlie  Religious  Telescope.  Mr.  Rhinehart,  of  the 
Mountain  Messenger^  became  its  first  editor  and  publisher, 
the  subscription  list  of  the  Messenger  being  transferred 
to  the  Telescope.  The  paper  consisted  of  four  pages,  fifteen 
by  twenty-two  inches  in  size.  For  some  time  it  was 
published  semimonthly,  the  price  per  year  being  $1.50. 
The  subscription  list  for  the  paper  rose  slowly,  reaching 
for  some  years  but  little  beyond  a  thousand  names,  and 
these  mostly  obtained  on  the  credit  system.     Mr.  Rhine- 


408  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

hart  was  an  ardent  reformer,  and  his  radical  utterances 
through  the  paper,  while  assisting  greatly  in  preparing 
the  way  of  advanced  sentiment  in  the  Church,  especially 
on  the  slavery  and  temperance  questions,  did  not  in  those 
days  tend  to  add  to  the  popularity  of  the  paper,  or  to 
augment  its  bank  account.  The  enterprise  was  begun 
with  liabilities  amounting  to  sixteen  hundred  dollars,  and 
soon  the  debt  ran  up  to  six  thousand  dollars,  and 
the  House  must  have  failed  had  it  not  been  sus- 
tained by  the  courage  and  ample  credit  of  the  trustees. 
In  1839  William  Hanby,  afterward  bishop,  became  editor 
and  publisher,  having  direction  for  six  years.  Then  fol- 
lowed David  Edwards,  also  afterward  bishop,  as  editor. 
Under  the  more  prudent  direction  of  these  men  the  paper 
grew  in  acceptability.  The  subscription  list  advanced, 
and  by  1849  the  liabiHties  were  cleared  away,  and  four 
years  later  the  net  assets  were  placed  at  thirteen  thousand 
dollars.  These,  however,  included  moneys  due  on  sub- 
scriptions and  other  assets  which  were  never  collected. 

III.       THE    KEMOVAL    TO    DAYTON. 

The  need  of  a  better  location  for  a  house  that  should 
meet  the  growing  wants  of  the  Church  had  for  some 
years  been  felt.  The  proposition  for  a  change  was  con- 
sidered by  the  General  Conference  of  1853,  and  it  was 
determined  to  remove  the  House  to  Dayton,  Ohio.  A  lot 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Fourth  streets, 
fronting  fifty-nine  and  one-half  feet  on  Main  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty-two  feet  on  Fourth,  was  purchased  for 
eleven  thousand  dollars.  On  this  ground  was  situated  a 
two-story  brick  residence,  and  within  a  few  months  after 
the  adjournment  of  the  General  Conference  the  estabhsh- 
ment  was  located  in  this  house  as  its  temporary  home. 
The   removal   was   accomplished    under  the   direction   of 


THE  UNITED  BRETHBEN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE      409 

Rev.  Solomon  Vonnieda,   who   had   just   been    elected    as 
publishing  agent. 

In  1854  a  substantial  four-story  brick  building,  forty 
by  ninety  feet  in  extent,  was  erected  upon  this  lot,  with 
ample  equipment  of  machinery  for  the  requirements  of 
that  time.  The  cost  of  the  building  with  its  machinery 
was  fifteen  thousand  dollars.  A  book-store  was  established 
in  connection  with  the  House.  Two  new  periodicals  were 
started  in  the  quadrennium  from  1853  to  1857, — the  Unity 
Magazine  and  the  Children's  Friend, — both  edited  by  David 
Edwards.  Thirteen  new  books  were  published,  and  there 
were  other  abundant  signs  of  activity.  John  Lawrence, 
who  had  been  assistant  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope, 
was  now  its  editor.  The  removal  of  the  House  to  a  new 
location,  and  the  new  energy  and  life  apparent  in  all  its 
departments,  implied  also  increased  financial  outlays,  and 
a  burdensome  debt  was  soon  in  process  of  accumulation. 

IV.       MATERIAL    DEVELOPMENT. 

1.     Finances, 

The  reader  has  seen  that  at  the  organization  in  1834 
the  House  was  practically  without  capital,  and  had  lia- 
bilities amounting  to  about  |1,600  ;  that  these  liabilities 
afterward  advanced  to  nearly  four  times  that  sum,  but 
in  1849  had  been  fully  paid  off".  After  the  removal  to 
Dayton,  in  1853,  with  the  investment  in  real  estate, 
erection  of  building,  purchase  of  machinery  and  stock,' 
with  other  added  expenses,  and  no  adequate  returns, 
new  liabilities  were  created,  which  in  1857  amounted  to 
over  $53,000.  Against  this  were  placed  assets  in  property 
and  accounts,  none  of  which  could  be  immediately  used  to 
diminish  the  debts.  Eight  years  later,  in  1865,  the  liabih- 
ties  still  amounted  to  above  $52,000,  though  valuable  por- 


410  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

tions  of  the  ground  owned  by  the  House  had  been  sold  to 
obtain  reUef.  At  this  time  the  assets  were  estimated  at 
something  above  $63,000,  leaving  but  a  narrow  margin 
between  the  credit  and  debtor  sides  of  the  accounts.  Not 
less  than  f25,000  had  been  lost  to  the  House  through 
the  credit  system. 

It  was  at  this  crisis  that  Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey,  who  had 
been  appointed  assistant  agent  in  June,  1864,  was  elected, 
by  the  General  Conference  of  May,  1865,  as  the  financial 
head  of  the  House.  Mr.  Shuey  began  at  once  a  careful 
study  of  its  financial  condition,  with  a  view  of  ascer- 
taining by  what  methods  at  least  a  gradual  reduction 
of  this  consuming  debt  might  be  attained.  He  was  not 
long  in  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  unless  at  least  a 
partial  relief  could  be  reached  the  House  was  doomed  to 
a  collapse  at  no  distant  day.  For  the  purpose  of  some 
immediate  relief  he  devised  and  laid  before  the  General 
Conference  of  1865  the  Publication  Fund  plan.  The  plan 
was  approved  by  the  conference,  and  an  appeal  was  made 
to  the  Church  for  contributions  to  the  fund.  The  Church 
responded  to  this  call  to  the  extent  of  about  $18,000, 
thus  furnishing  a  very  material  relief  to  the  strained  finan- 
cial condition.  He  began,  also,  after  entering  upon  the 
full  control  of  the  House,  that  close  and  careful  super- 
vision of  its  business  in  all  its  details  by  which  the 
current  of  its  affairs  was  turned,  and  that  upward  trend 
was  begun  which  has  never  turned  backward.  Under  this 
wise  management,  in  consultation  from  time  to  time  with 
its  board  of  trustees,  and  with  the  generous  support  of 
the  ministers  and  people  throughout  the  Church,  the 
House  has  steadily  gained  in  its  resources  until  a  high 
position  among  the  foremost  of  denominational  publish- 
ing houses  has  been  attained. 

Through   all   the   subsequent   years,    of    either    general 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     411 

financial  prosperity  or  depression,  the  House  has  seldom 
passed  a  year  without  adding  to  the  credit  side  of  the 
ledger.  The  general  assets  in  the  year  1896  had  reached 
the  sum  of  $365,630.50,  while  the  net  assets  were 
$315,665.08.  The  real  estate,  including  the  additional 
grounds  purchased  and  the  new  buildings  erected,  has 
advanced  from  almost  nothing  in  1834  to  over  $100,000 
in  1896.  The  cash  sales  of  books  have  amounted  to 
nearly  $1,600,000,  and  the  cash  receipts  from  periodicals 
have  been  more  than  $1,700,000.  The  aggregate  receipts 
from  the  business  since  the  founding  have  been  over 
$4,250,000.  In  benevolences,  such  as  carrying  non-pay- 
ing publications,  paying  General  Conference  expenses,  and 
dividends  to  the  annual  conferences,  the  House  has  dis- 
pensed over  $57,000.  To  this  sum  about  $30,000  must 
be  added  as  expense  in  the  recent  litigations.  In  its 
financial  standing  in  the  business  world  the  House  holds 
its  place  in  the  first  rank. 

2.  Buildings  and  Equipment. 
To  the  building  erected  in  1853,  ninety  feet  in  length, 
with  a  frontage  of  forty  feet,  extensions  have  since  been 
added,  until  it  is  now  two  hundred  feet  long,  the  rear 
portion  being  ninety-nine  and  one-half  feet  in  depth. 
The  building  as  now  constructed  aff'ords  a  combined  floor 
space  of  more  than  one  acre.  It  is  thoroughly  equipped 
with  the  machinery  requisite  to  a  high-class  pubhshing 
house.  It  is  heated  throughout  with  steam,  lighted  with 
electricity  produced  by  its  own  dynamos,  and  a  large  part 
of  its  machinery  is  operated  by  electric  power. 

3,     Departments. 

The    departments    of    the    House    at    present    are    the 
publisher's  office,   book   department,   editorial   rooms,  com- 


412  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

posing,  job  printing,  electrotyping,  power,  press,  binding, 
and  mailing  departments.  All  of  these  have  been  enlarged 
from  time  to  time,  as  required  by  the  development  of 
business.  The  establishment  has  long  had  a  wide  reputa- 
tion for  high-class  work  in  all  its  branches,  and  the  book- 
store connected  with  the  House  is  one  of  the  best  equipped 
in  any  city  west  of  New  York. 

V.       THE    PERIODICAL   PUBLICATIONS. 

In  the  founding  of  the  Publishing  House  the  object 
proposed  was  to  supply  the  people  of  the  Church  with 
wholesome  literature  of  a  religious  and  general  character. 
In  no  department  has  the  growth  of  the  House  been 
more  strikingly  illustrated  than  in  its  periodical  publi- 
cations. 

1.     The  Religious  Telescope. 

This  paper,  the  earliest  publication  issued  by  the  House, 
still  holds,  in  the  popular  regard,  the  chief  place  among 
its  now  numerous  periodicals.  From  the  small  semi- 
monthly folio  of  1834  it  has  advanced  through  various 
stages  of  folio  of  larger  size,  octavo,  or  eight-page,  and 
sixteen-page,  up  to  its  present  elegant  thirty-two-page 
form.  The  broad  mission  of  this  paper  to  the  Church 
cannot  be  indicated  in  a  brief  description.  It  has  through- 
out its  career  stood  out  bravely  on  all  questions  of  reform, 
and  has  sought  in  every  way  to  aid  in  building  up 
all  other  interests  of  the  Church.  Its  early  issues  were 
printed  on  a  small  hand-press.  It  is  now  printed  from  a 
rapid  web  perfecting  press,  capable  of  issuing  five  thousand 
copies  per  hour,  printed  on  both  sides,  pasted,  cut,  and 
folded,  ready  for  mailing. 

The  first  editor  was  Rev.  William  R.  Rhinehart,  whose 
official  connection  with  the  paper  continued   until   1839. 


The  United  Brethren  Publishing  House  at  Ciecleville. 
(  Basement  of  the  Ciecleville  Church.  ) 


a  5 


o  ►^ 

M     K 


CQ     ^ 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     413 

He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  William  Hauby ;  and  he,  in 
1845,  by  Rev.  David  Edwards.  In  1849  Mr.  Hanby  again 
became  editor,  but  in  1852  resigned  this  position  to  become 
publishing  agent.  In  the  latter  year  Rev.  John  Lawrence, 
who  had  been  assistant  editor  since  1850,  became  editor. 
Since  1852  the  following  persons  have  been  editors  and 
assistant  or  associate  editors  respectively :  Editors — Rev. 
John  Lawrence,  Rev.  D.  Berger,  Rev.  Milton  Wright, 
Rev.  William  0.  Tobey,  A.M.,  James  W.  Hott,  D.D., 
I.  L.  Kephart,  D.D.  Assistant  and  Associate  Editors — 
Rev.  William  0.  Tobey,  A.M.,  Marion  R.  Drury,  D.D. 

2.      The  Sunday-School  Periodicals. 

The  Sunday-school  publications  have  grown  to  occupy  a 
large  place  in  the  business  of  the  House.  Of  the  six  English 
Sunday-school  periodicals  now  published,  the  Children's 
Friend  is  the  oldest,  having  been  begun  in  1854,  with 
Bishop  David  Edwards  as  editor.  The  Missionary  Vis- 
itor was  established  in  1865,  with  Rev.  D.  K.  Flickinger, 
corresponding  secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society,  as  editor. 
In  the  summer  of  1895  this  paper  was  transferred  to  the 
Sunday-school  department,  its  name  being  changed  to  the 
Children's  Visitor.  These  have  always  been  semimonthly 
papers,  and  together  now  furnish  reading  for  every  Sabbath 
in  the  year.  They  are  small  folios,  and  are  profusely  illus- 
trated. The  four  periodicals  comprising  the  lesson  series 
— namely,  Our  Bible  Teacher,  Our  Bible-Lesson  Quarterly, 
Our  Intermediate  Bible-Lesson  Quarterly,  and  Lessons  for  the 
Little  Ones — had  their  origin  in  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Lesson  movement,  beginning  with  1873.  Lesson 
Leaves  for  the  Sunday  School  appeared  on  the  1st  of  January 
of  that  year,  under  the  editorial  management  of  Rev.  D. 
Berger,  and  in  1882  developed  into  the  Intermediate  Quar- 
terly.    Our  Bible  Teacher  was  first  published  in  April,  1873, 


414  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

under  the  same  editorial  care.  Tlie  first  number  of  Our 
Bible-Lesson  Quarterly  was  issued  in  January,  1879,  and 
Lessons  for  the  Little  Ones  has  been  pubhshed  since  April  2, 
1876.  All  of  these  publications  are  familiar  to  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Church.  Their  combined  circulation  in 
July,  1896,  was  over  three  hundred  and  seventy  thousand. 
The  following  have  been  editors  of  the  Sabbath-school 
literature  :  Bishop  David  Edwards,  Rev.  Alexander  Owen, 
Rev.  Solomon  Vonnieda,  Rev.  D.  Berger,  Dr.  J.  W.  Etter. 
The  associate  editors  have  been  Dr.  J.  W.  Etter  and  Dr. 
H.  A.  Thompson. 

3.     The  German  Periodicals. 

The  first  German  paper  issued  for  the  Church  was 
undertaken  as  a  private  enterprise  by  John  Russel,  in 
1840.  It  was  called  Die  Geschaftige  Martha  ( The  Busy 
Martha),  and  was  printed  in  Baltimore.  In  1841  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  assumed  control  of  the  paper,  elected  Jacob 
Erb  as  editor,  and  appointed  three  special  trustees  to  take 
it  in  charge.  Its  career  closed  in  one  year  afterward  for 
want  of  support.  In  1846  the  publication  was  resumed,  in 
Circleville,  Ohio,  with  the  name  changed  to  Der  Deutsche 
Teleskop  ( The  German  Telescope),  and  Nehemiah  Altman  as 
editor.  Three  years  later  it  resumed  its  original  name,  the 
Busy  Martha.  In  1851  the  name  was  once  more  changed, 
this  time  becoming  Der  Frohliche  Botschafter  ( The  Joyful 
Messenger).  This  name  is  retained  to  the  present.  The 
editors  of  this  paper  have  been  the  following  :  Rev.  John 
Russel,  Rev.  Jacob  Erb,  Rev.  N.  Altman,  Rev.  David  Strick- 
ler,  Rev.  Henry  Staub,  Rev.  Julius  Degmeier,  Rev.  Solomon 
Vonnieda,  Rev.  Ezekiel  Light,  Rev.  William  Mittendorf. 
Rev.  Edward  Lorenz  is  now  in  editorial  charge. 

The  Sunday-school  periodicals  of  the  German  depart- 
ment of  the  House   deserve   special   mention.      The  first 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     415 

of  these  is  Der  Jugend  Filger  [The  Youtli's  Pilgrim),  estab- 
lished in  1870.  In  size  and  general  character  it  is  like 
the  Children's  Friend.  For  four  years  it  was  issued  as  a 
monthly.  Since  then  it  has  been  a  semimonthly.  In  1890 
was  begun  the  publication  of  a  Sunday-school  quarterly, 
called  Sonntagschul-Lectionen.  It  contains  twenty-four 
pages,  with  cover.  These  periodicals  have  always  been 
under  the  same  editorial  care  as  Der  Frohliche  Botschafter. 
All  of  these  papers  are  edited  with  much  ability,  and 
all  deserve  much  larger  circulation  than  is  possible  with 
the  limited  German  membership  of  the  Church.  Rela- 
tively the  German  portion  of  the  Church  gives  a  far  better 
support  to  its  publications  than  the  English  membership 
does,  and  for  this  the  Germans  are  worthy  of  all  praise. 
Nevertheless,  these  periodicals  have  always  been  issued 
at  a  pecuniary  loss  to  the  House,  the  aggregate  deficiency 
from  the  beginning  being  upwards  of  thirty-eight  thousand 
dollars.  But  they  are  clearly  a  necessity  to  the  Church, 
and  their  publication  must  be  continued. 

4-.      The    Watchword. 

With  the  organization  and  rapid  growth  of  the  Young 
People's  Christian  Union  there  soon  began  to  be  felt  a 
need  for  a  periodical  devoted  especially  to  that  interest. 
Numerous  requests  came  to  the  General  Conference  of 
May,  1893,  for  such  a  publication,  and  the  conference 
ordered  that  a  paper  be  published,  and  elected  Rev. 
H.  F.  Shupe  as  its  editor.  The  first  number  of  the  Young 
People's  Watchword y  now  called  the  Watchword,  appeared  on 
September  2  of  that  year.  It  is  in  handsome  eight-page 
form,  issued  weekly,  and  w^ell  illustrated.  It  is  a  bright, 
cheery,  and  helpful  paper,  and  is  filling  admirably  an 
important  mission  to  the  Church.  It  is  furnished  at  the 
price  of  one  dollar  a  year. 


416  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

5.     Magazine  Literature. 

About  the  middle  of  the  century  much  attention  was 
given  in  the  Church  to  the  subject  of  personal  holiness. 
It  was  for  the  promotion  of  this  object  that  the  Unity 
Magazine,  a  monthly  magazine,  at  first  called  Unity  ivith 
God,  was  started,  by  order  of  the  General  Conference  of 
1853.  The  first  number  was  issued  in  November  of  that 
year.  The  subscription  Hst  gave  slight  promise  of  success, 
and  the  scope  of  the  magazine  was  broadened.  But  it 
lived  only  a  little  over  five  years,  its  career  closing  with 
January,  1859.  Its  first  editor  was  Bishop  David  Edwards. 
He  was  succeeded  in  1857  by  Rev.  Alexander  Owen.  Each 
gave  to  the  magazine  fine  ability  and  an  earnest  Christian 
tone.     No  attempt  was  ever  made  to  revive  this  monthly. 

In  1889  the  General  Conference  decided  to  enter  again 
the  field  of  magazine  literature,  this  time,  however,  aiming 
at  a  publication  of  a  higher  character,  to  be  issued  quar- 
terly. Accordingly,  in  January,  1890,  the  first  issue  of 
the  Quarterly  Revieiv  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  with 
J.  W.  Etter,  D.D.,  as  its  editor,  made  its  appearance.  In 
1891  Dr.  Etter  was  elected  a  professor  in  Union  Biblical 
Seminary,  and  the  work  on  the  Review  was  shared  with 
him  by  the  other  professors  in  the  seminary.  The  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  1893  placed  the  magazine  in  the  care 
of  the  professors,  but  with  the  last  issue  of  that  year  its 
publication  was  discontinued,  by  order  of  the  trustees 
of  the  House,  because  of  insufficient  support.  After- 
ward an  organization  of  ministers  was  formed,  called 
''The  Review  Publishing  Association,"  for  the  purpose  of 
reviving  the  publication.  Dr.  G.  M.  Mathews  became  its 
managing  editor,  giving  his  service  gratuitously,  and  thus 
it  has  continued  to  live.  The  Review  from  the  beginning 
has  been  under  excellent  management,  and  has  uniformly 
maintained  a  high  character. 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     417 

6.     Missionary  Publications. 

Two  other  publications,  both  of  most  excellent  character, 
and  both  devoted  to  the  missionary  work,  are  issued  from 
the  Publishing  House,  though  not  by  the  House  itself. 
The  first  of  these  is  the  Woman^s  Evangel^  a  monthly 
published  by  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association,  and 
edited  by  its  officers.  The  first  number  appeared  in  Jan- 
uary, 1882.  Mrs.  L.  R.  Keister  was  editor  from  the  begin- 
ning until  1893,  and  Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller  associate  editor 
from  1888  to  1893.  Upon  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  Keister 
in  the  latter  year,  Mrs.  Miller  succeeded  as  editor. 

The  second  of  these  publications  is  the  Search  Light,  also 
a  monthly,  published  by  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society,  with  the  general  secretary,  William  M. 
Bell,  D.D.,  as  editor,  and  the  treasurer,  William  McKee,  D.D., 
as  associate.     This  paper  is  very  attractive  in  appearance. 

Both  of  these  periodicals  are  conducted  with  discrimi- 
nating zeal  and  judgment. 

VI.       BOOK    PUBLICATIONS. 

An  extensive  list  of  books,  theological,  historical,  bio- 
graphical, and  miscellaneous  in  character,  many  of  them 
of  a  high  order,  have  been  published  by  the  House.  With 
these  are  included  teachers'  Bibles,  of  which  very  many 
thousands,  in  conjunction  with  two  great  publishing  houses 
of  another  denomination,  have  been  issued. 

The  first  English  hymn-book  issued  by  the  Publishing 
House  under  the  order  of  the  General  Conference  was  com- 
piled by  H.  G.  Spay  til,  in  1849.  This  was  superseded  by 
a  greatly  improved  collection  ordered  by  the  conference 
of  1857,  which  remained  in  use  until  1873.  The  later 
hymn-books  published,  both  for  congregational  and  Sun- 
day-school   use,    have    taken    high    rank.      In    1873   the 

27 


418  THE  UNITED  BRETHBEN  IN  CHBIST 

General  Conference  ordered  the  publication  of  a  hymn- 
book  with  notes,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  super- 
vise the  work.  The  preparation  of  it  was  committed  to 
Rev.  William  H.  Lanthurn,  who,  at  the  time  and  until  his 
death  in  1884,  was  at  the  head  of  the  book  department. 
The  result  was  the  excellent  book  entitled  "  Hymns  for  the 
Sanctuary,"  one  of  the  very  best  books  of  its  class.  Later 
a  demand  arose  for  a  smaller  book  with  notes,  with  more 
immediate  adaptation  to  revival  and  the  general  social 
services  of  the  Church.  The  preparation  of  this  work  was 
committed  to  Rev.  Edmund  S.  Lorenz,  A.M.,  so  well  known 
to  the  Church  as  a  music  writer  and  publisher.  And  thus 
the  "Otterbein  Hymnal,"  which  has  proved  so  justly  pop- 
ular, was  given  to  the  Church.  Sunday-school  song-books  of 
superior  character  have  also  from  time  to  time  been  issued. 
For  a  general  view  of  the  book  publications  of  the  House, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  the  "  Manual  of  the  United  Brethren 
Publishing  House,  Historical  and  Descriptive." 

VII.       THE    PUBLISHING   AGENTS. 

In  the  earlier  years  of  the  House  the  editors  of  the 
periodicals  were  also  the  publishing  agents.  In  1845 
Nehemiah  Altman  was  elected  publisher.  He  held  the 
office  for  seven  years,  during  one  of  which,  from  1846  to 
1847,  he  was  also  German  editor.  Since  1853  the  publishing 
agents  have  been  as  follows  :  1853  to  1854,  Rev.  Solomon 
Vonnieda  ;  a  few  months  in  1854,  Rev.  Solomon  Vonnieda 
and  Henry  Kumler,  Jun. ;  1855  to  1861,  Rev.  Solomon 
Vonnieda  and  Thomas  N.  Sowers  ;  1861  to  1864,  Thomas 
N.  Sowers  and  Jacob  B.  King ;  1864  to  1865,  Thomas  N. 
Sowers  and  Rev.  William  J.  Shuey  ;  a  few  weeks  in  1865, 
Rev.  William  J.  Shuey  and  Thomas  N.  Sowers ;  1865  to 
1866,  Revs.  William  J.  Shuey  and  William  McKee  ;  1866 
to  the  present,  Rev.  William  J.  Shuey. 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     419 

For  nearly  thirty-three  years,  or  more  than  half  the 
lifetime  of  the  Publishing  House,  Mr.  Shuey  has  stood  at 
its  head  as  general  superintendent  and  financial  mana- 
ger. He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Miamisburg,  Ohio,  ten 
miles  from  Dayton,  on  February  9,  1827.  He  was  con- 
verted and  became  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  in  1843.  He  joined  the  Miami  Conference  in 
1848,  and  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Erb  in  1851,  entering 
in  the  latter  year  upon  the  duties  of  pastor.  He  served 
in  this  relation,  and  in  that  of  presiding  elder,  until  he 
entered  the  Publishing  House,  with  the  exception  of  mak- 
ing a  trip  to  Africa,  in  company  with  Revs.  D.  C.  Kumler 
and  D.  K.  Flickinger,  for  the  purpose  of  locating  a  mission. 
The  idea  of  opening  a  mission  somewhere  in  Africa  was 
first  proposed  by  him  to  the  Board  of  Missions,  at  the 
session  of  1854,  and  it  was  especially  by  his  advocacy  that 
the  proposition  was  adopted  by  the  board.  He  was  also 
the  first  to  suggest  to  the  General  Conference,  at  the  session 
of  1869,  the  establishing  of  a  central  .theological  seminary 
for  the  Church,  as  will  appear  in  these  pages  farther  on. 

Mr.  Shuey  first  entered  the  House,  as  has  been  before 
stated,  in  June,  1864,  as  assistant  publishing  agent.  The 
manner  in  which  he  addressed  himself  to  the  situation 
as  then  existing  commended  him  to  the  favor  of  the 
General  Conference  of  1865,  and  he  was  elected  publishing 
agent.  The  wisdom  of  this  choice  has  been  abundantly 
demonstrated  through  the  years  which  have  followed,  and 
never  more  so  than  through  the  long  and  wearisome 
period  of  litigation,  in  which,  while  there  were  many  to 
bear  a  portion  of  the  burden,  its  principal  weight,  by  the 
necessities  of  the  situation,  fell  upon  him. 

In  devoting  himself  to  the  management  of  the  Publish- 
ing House,  his  life  has  necessarily  been  drawn  away  from 
the  more  direct  work  of  the  ministry,  and,  while  he  has 


420  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

rendered  the  Church  an  invaluable  service  in  this  par- 
ticular field,  he  has  always  regretted  the  necessity  which 
separated  him  from  his  more  immediate  chosen  life  work. 
His  strength  in  the  pulpit,  his  wisdom  as  a  counselor  in 
the  General  and  annual  conferences,  and  his  thorough 
interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  growth  and  success 
of  the  Church  in  all  her  departments  of  work,  are  every- 
where recognized. 

VIII.       SOME    OF    THE    EDITORS. 

Of  a  number  of  the  men  who  have  served  in  the  rela- 
tion of  editors  in  the  House  mention  has  been  made 
elsewhere,  as  Rhinehart,  Hanby,  Edwards,  Wright,  Hott, 
Russel,  Erb,  and  Altman.  Of  others  a  brief  mention  must 
be  made  here. 

One  of  the  most  popular  of  the  long  line  was  Rev.  John 
Lawrence.  Becoming  assistant  editor  of  the  Religious  Tele- 
scope in  1850  and  editor  in  1852,  he  was  regularly  elected 
by  the  General  Conference  in  1853,  and  resigned  early  in 
1864,  having  served  in  the  office  about  fourteen  years.  He 
became  chaplain  of  a  regiment  in  the  War  of  the  Rebelhon, 
and  remained  afterward  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he 
entered  into  the  practice  of  law,  continuing  in  that  pro- 
fession until  his  death,  in  1889.  He  wrote  with  great 
fluency,  and  gave  his  readers  many  bright  and  breezy 
articles,  but  disappointed  many  by  his  failure  to  bring  the 
paper  to  a  high  literary  standard,  and  often  by  deficiency 
in  well-matured  thought.  He  wrote  much  against  secret 
societies  and  slavery,  and  published  a  small  volume  on 
each  of  these  subjects.  He  wrote  also  a  history  of  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  a  work  in  which,  as  to  style 
of  writing,  he  appears  at  his  best. 

Rev.  William  Otterbein  Tobey,  A.M.,  was  for  eight  years 
editorially   connected   with    the    Religious    Telescope,   four 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE      421 

years  as  joint  editor  with  Milton  Wright,  and  four  years 
as  assistant  with  Dr.  J.  AV.  Ilott.  He  brought  to  his  work 
fine  abilities  as  a  writer,  but  sympathized  fully  with  the 
ultra-radicalism  which  controlled  the  Telescope  during  the 
first  four  years  of  his  connection  with  it. 

Dr.  Marion  R.  Drury,  born  in  1849,  a  graduate  of  Western 
College  and  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  became  assistant  editor 
of  the  Religious  Telescope  in  1881,  serving  eight  years  in 
that  relation.  In  1889  he  was  regularly  elected  by  the 
General  Conference  as  associate  editor,  a  relation  which  he 
has  continued  to  occupy  to  the  present.  He  has  proved 
himself  as  possessing  true  editorial  instincts,  is  judicious, 
painstaking,  and  thorough.  He  apprehends  quickly  the 
salient  points  of  any  subject  or  situation,  and  rapidly  pre- 
sents to  his  readers  the  best  things.  The  fact  that  he  has 
almost  completed  four  quadrennial  terms  of  service,  a  longer 
period  than  any  other  person  has  ever  served  on  the  Tele- 
scope, is  ample  proof  of  his  adaptation  to  editorial  work. 

Dr.  Isaiah  L.  Kephart,  born  in  1832,  a  student  in  Otter- 
bein  University,  professor  of  natural  science  in  Western 
College,  Iowa,  in  1871,  professor  of  mental  and  moral 
science  in  San  Joaquin  Valley  College,  California,  in  1883, 
president  of  Westfield  College  in  1885-89,  was  elected 
editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope  in  1889.  Dr.  Kephart 
entered  easily  upon  the  duties  of  an  editor.  He  has  suc- 
ceeded in  giving  to  the  paper  the  high  character  in  thought 
and  type  of  expression  which  has  commended  it  so  strongly 
to  its  readers.  During  the  turbulent  years  which  followed 
the  radical  secession  he  conducted  the  paper  with  wisdom 
and  in  a  manner  to  be  greatly  helpful  to  the  Church. 
He  is  of  cheerful  temperament,  always  hopeful,  trusting 
strongly  in  God's  sovereignty  over  the  affairs  of  men, 
and  is  a  safe  leader  of  the  hosts  of  the  Church  through 
the  medium  through  which  he  speaks  to  them  each  week. 


422  THE  UNITED  BBETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  early  editors  of  the  German  Uterature  were  Russel, 
Erb,  Altman,  David  Strickler,  and  Solomon  Vonnieda. 
Mr.  Vonnieda  was  editor  for  seven  years,  from  1859  to 
1866.  Then  succeeded  Rev.  Ezekiel  Light,  who  edited 
the  German  literature  from  1866  to  1869,  and  again 
from  1885  to  1889.  He  was  again  elected  by  the  General 
Conference  in  1893,  but  resigned  immediately  afterward 
to  assume  the  chaplaincy  of  the  National  Military  Home 
at  Dayton.  He  proved  himself  a  strong  thinker  and 
able  writer.  Dr.  Light  preferred  the  position  he  now 
occupies  as  being  less  confining,  while  equally  laborious. 
He  resides  with  his  family  in  the  pleasant  residence 
provided  for  the  chaplain  by  the  Home  government. 

Rev.  William  Mittendorf  was  elected  editor  of  the 
German  periodicals  in  1869,  and  continued  to  1885,  a 
period  of  sixteen  years.  He  was  again  elected  in  1889, 
serving  to  1893,  when,  upon  Dr.  Light's  resignation,  he 
was  immediately  reelected  by  the  board  of  trustees,  and 
continued  until  his  death,  in  April,  1895,  serving  in  all 
nearly  twenty-two  years  as  editor,  the  longest  service,  with 
a  single  exception,  of  all  the  editors  in  the  history  of 
the  House.  Mr.  Mittendorf  was  born  in  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, January  30,  1830.  He  was  in  high  standing  in 
the  Ohio  German  Conference,  and  was  elected  a  delegate 
to  every  General  Conference  from  1869  to  1893.  During 
his  editorial  career  he  translated  the  essential  portions  of 
Lawrence's  Church  History  into  the  German  language, 
and  assisted  in  compiling  the  German  hymn-book  now 
in  use  in  the  Church.  He  was  an  earnest  and  laborious 
worker,  and,  like  his  successor,  was  plentifully  provided 
with  work  to  do,  having  the  editorial  care  of  Der  Frbhliche 
Botschafter  (weekly),  the  Jugend  Pilger  (semimonthly),  and 
the  Sunday-school  lesson  quarterly. 

Rev.  Edward  Lorcnz,  on  the   death  of  Mr.   Mittendorf, 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  PUBLISHING  HOUSE     423 

in  the  spring  of  1895,  was  elected  by  the  board  of  trustees 
as  editor  of  the  German  publications,  and  entered  at  once 
upon  the  duties  of  the  office.  He  sustains  admirably  the 
literary  and  religious  tone  of  these  periodicals. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  John  Lawrence  having  resigned, 
D.  Berger  was  appointed  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope, 
and  was  elected  by  the  General  Conference  of  1865.  In 
1869  he  was  chosen  editor  of  the  the  Sunday-school  lit- 
erature, and  continued  in  this  relation  until  1893.  In 
the  latter  year  Dr.  J.  W.  Etter  was  elected,  but  died  in 
March,  1895.  D.  Berger  was  then  again  chosen,  continuing 
to  the  present.  He  has  occupied  the  editorial  chair  for 
twenty-six  years,  during  twelve  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  International  Lesson  Committee.  In  1893 
Dr.  H.  A.  Thompson  was  elected  associate  editor,  and 
continues  to  the  present  time. 

IX.       BOARD    OF    TRUSTEES. 

The  following  trustees  were  elected  by  the  General 
Conference  of  1893:  D.  L.  Rike,  George  Miller,  D.D., 
John  Dodds,  D.  W.  Crider,  Prof.  R.  J.  White,  Rev.  W.  0. 
Fries,  Rev.  A.  C.  Wilmore,  E.  R.  Smith,  M.D.,  and  G.  M. 
Mathews,  D.D.  After  the  death  of  D.  L.  Rike,  in  1895, 
Prof.  A.  W.  Drury  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Dr. 
G.  M.  Mathews  is  president  of  the  board. 

The  House,  as  a  whole,  is  a  great  hive  of  activity, 
employing  in  its  various  departments  more  than  a  hun- 
dred people,  sending  out  annually  a  vast  amount  of 
wholesome  literature,  and  is  esteemed  as  one  of  the  most 
solid  of  the  business  establishments  of  the  flourishing  city 
in  which  it  is  located. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    HOME,    FRONTIER,    AND    FOREIGN   MISSIONARY 
SOCIETY  AND  ITS  WORK 

I.       THE   HOME   AND    FRONTIER    FIELD. 

The  United  Brethren  Church,  as  we  have  seen  in  these 
pages,  had  its  origin  in  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century  in  a  series  of  revival  meetings  conducted  by 
Otterbein,  Boehm,  and  others  who  became  associated  with 
them  in  their  work,  the  occasion  being  the  low  state  of 
spirituality  which  prevailed  particularly  in  the  churches 
with  which  they  were  connected.  Their  preaching  was 
plain,  spiritual,  and  practical,  and  they  dwelt  with  great 
emphasis  on  the  sinfulness  and  lost  condition  of  men, 
and  the  necessity  for  repentance,  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  as  a  present  Saviour,  and  a  conscious  witness  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  their  regeneration  and  acceptance  with 
God.  Hence  the  Church  soon  became  widely  known  for 
its  insistence  on  these  doctrines,  as  well  as  for  its  frequent 
and  powerful  revivals.  With  such  preaching,  such  revivals, 
and  a  converted  and  spiritual  membership,  it  was  natural 
that  an  earnest  missionary  spirit  should  soon  spring  up. 
Every  newly-converted  soul  was  anxious  to  bring  other 
souls  into  the  same  blessed  experience.  Many  of  those 
whose  hearts  were  drawn  out  in  earnest  sympathy  for 
others,  as  they  poured  forth  the  story  of  their  own  joyful 
experience,  soon  developed  into  preachers.  With  little 
pretense  of  scholastic  culture,  but  with  hearts  grasping 
the  great  essentials  of  salvation,  they  spoke  first  to  their 
neighbors  on  the   great   subject  of   their  eternal   welfare, 

424 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  425 

and  then  made  visits  to  other  places,  sometimes  at  long 
distances,  and  rehearsed  the  same  story.  Thus  they 
became  true  missionaries,  sometimes  sent  out  by  councils 
of  brethren,  as  were  Barnabas  and  Saul  at  the  first,  but 
often  going  by  their  own  motion,  as  Paul  did  subsequently 
on  his  great  missionary  journeys,  or  on  some  urgent  call 
from  a  distant  point,  coming  like  the  call  from  Macedonia 
to  the  great  apostle,  "Come  over  and  help  us."  Journeys 
of  hundreds  of  miles,  and  extending  through  weeks  and 
even  months,  were  thus  made  by  these  enthusiastic  and 
devoted  servants  of  God,  whose  only  compensation  was 
the  souls  they  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  Jesus. 

But  all  this  work,  carried  forward  with  such  commend- 
able zeal,  and  such  immediate  blessed  results,  was  for  many 
years  without  organization  or  system.  The  route  which 
a  preacher  traveled  over  he  might  not  follow  up  again 
for  an  interval  of  years,  nor  were  others  appointed  to  follow 
definitely  in  his  track.  The  people  who  heard  his  word 
gladly,  who  gave  their  hearts  to  Christ,  and  often  were 
gathered  into  small  organized  bands,  or  societies,  might 
not  see  a  minister  again  for  long  periods,  or  a  minister 
of  another  denomination  might  come  into  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  gather  them,  with  others,  into  another  fold. 
These  ministers  in  general  were  entirely  unpaid  in  a 
pecuniary  way,  while  the  itinerant  missionaries  often  gave 
but  part  of  a  year  to  the  work. 

This  irregular  and  unsystematized  method  of  doing 
missionary  work  was  largely  maintained  up  to  the  middle 
of  the  present  century.  The  conferences  indeed  took  the 
matter  in  hand,  marked  out  mission  fields  within  their 
bounds,  or  in  regions  adjacent  to  their  territory,  appointed 
home  missionaries  to  these  fields,  and  collected  funds  on 
the  various  charges  for  their  partial  support.  And,  in 
justice,  it  must  be  said  that,  with  all  the  disadvantages 


426  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

under  which  they  labored,  they  accompHshed  a  magnifi- 
cent work.  The  Church  had  extended  its  work  far  to  the 
westward  from  the  original  territory  which  it  occupied  in 
its  earlier  years  in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia. 
The  great  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Iowa,  and 
portions  of  Michigan,  were  netted  over  with  conferences 
and  flourishing  societies  before  the  general  Missionary 
Society  of  the  Church  was  organized.  But  the  experi- 
ence of  the  fathers  of  the  first  half  of  the  century,  the 
grave  difiiculties  and  disadvantages  under  which  they 
carried  forward  their  work,  taught  them  the  need  of 
some  form  of  effective  organization,  some  centralized 
agency  through  which  the  work  could  be  more  efficiently 
directed,  and  through  whose  appeal  to  the  Church  a 
larger  liberality  could  be  awakened,  or  through  which 
wise  and  definite  direction  could  be  given  to  the  liberality 
which  had  already  been  quickened  for  ready  response  to 
the  Lord's  call.  It  was  a  great  step  forward,  therefore, 
when  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
was  organized  by  the  General  Conference  of  May,  1853. 
It  should  be  noted  here  that  previous  to  this,  while 
the  annual  conferences,  whose  work  was  now  conducted 
in  the  use  of  the  English  language,  were  pushing  their 
work  far  beyond  their  own  boundaries,  the  Germans  were 
also  actively  engaged  in  missionary  enterprises.  They 
organized  a  number  of  congregations,  chiefly  among 
European  Germans,  in  the  cities  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and 
Kentucky,  and  were  vigorously  prosecuting  their  work. 
While  thus  engaged  they  received  a  limited  support  from 
the  conferences,  but  most  of  them  performed  their  labor 
at  heavy  personal  sacrifice.  When  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1853  assembled,  this  work  was  in  a  healthy  and 
growing  condition,  and  was  properly  recognized  and 
organized  as  the  Ohio  German  Conference. 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  427 

The  Sandusky  Conference,  which  was  begun  in  1829  by 
ministers  from  the  Muskingum  Conference,  had  grown  to 
large  proportions  by  the  time  of  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Conference  of  1853.  A  noble  body  of  ministers,  earnest, 
progressive,  looking  well  to  the  future  of  the  Church, 
were  at  work  in  this  conference.  They  had  succeeded 
in  building  a  conference  which,  in  numbers,  intelligence, 
enterprise,  and  wealth,  stood  among  the  foremost  in  the 
Church.  Among  this  band  of  ministers  was  the  Rev.  J. 
C.  Bright,  a  man  whose  heart  God  touched  with  the  fire 
of  a  true  missionary  spirit.  Under  his  inspiration  the 
conference  took  an  active  part  in  those  measures  which 
led  up  to  the  organization  of  the  general  Missionary 
Society.  At  the  annual  session  of  1852  a  committee,  with 
Mr.  Bright  as  its  chairman,  made  in  substance  the  fol- 
lowing report  on  missions,  the  report  being  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  conference : 

1.  That  the  time  has  fully  come  when  the  United  Brethren 
Church  should  unite  her  whole  strength  in  a  missionary  society, 
which  shall  include  not  only  the  home,  but  also  the  frontier  and 
foreign,  fields  within  the  sphere  of  its  labors. 

2.  That  the  Sandusky  Conference  organize  itself  into  a  branch 
missionary  society,  with  the  prayer  that  the  General  Conference 
may  form  a  general  society,  of  which  each  annual  conference  may 
be  a  branch. 

3.  That  the  payment  of  one  dollar  shall  constitute  a  person  a 
member  of  the  society  for  one  year,  ten  dollars  a  life  member,  and 
fifty  dollars  a  life  director. 

4.  That  our  brethren  be  entreated  to  exercise  the  most  prayerful 
thought  and  careful  inquiry  into  the  wants  of  the  nominally  Chris- 
tian, and  especially  the  heathen,  world,  that  tlieir  views  may  be 
enlarged  in  regard  to  the  magnitude  of  the  work  devolving  upon 
the  Christian  church,  in  fulfilling  the  commission  given  by  our 
Saviour  on  the  mount  just  before  his  ascension. 

It  should  be  observed  here  that  the  Home,  Frontier,  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  is  intended  to  be,  as  it  also  is,  the 
aggregate  missionary  working  force  of  the  whole  Church, 


428  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

each  annual  conference  being  an  integral  part  or  branch 
of  the  parent  society.  The  reader  is  referred  to  the  con- 
stitution of  the  society,  found  in  the  Church  Discipline, 
for  an  explicit  statement  of  the  plans  and  methods  by 
which  its  work  is  carried  forward.  This  constitution, 
which,  it  is  understood,  was  originally  drawn  by  the 
hand  of  Mr.  Bright,  was  subjected  to  but  very  slight 
alteration  from  the  time  of  its  adoption  by  the  General 
Conference  of  1853  until  the  conference  of  1881,  a  period 
of  twenty-eight  years.  And  if  the  reader  has  followed 
closely  the  form  of  the  Sandusky  Conference  resolutions 
he  will  not  wonder  that  when  the  General  Conference 
came  to  elect  its  first  corresponding  secretary  the  choice 
fell  upon  John  C.  Bright.  He  was  a  man  of  marked 
abilities,  of  great  zeal,  and  thoroughly  qualified  for  the 
duties  of  the  position,  then  new  to  the  Church,  and  he 
soon  infused  into  the  hearts  of  hundreds  of  ministers  and 
laymen  the  spirit  which  so  strongly  actuated  his  own 
heart  in  this  department  of  work.  Rev.  John  Kemp  was 
elected  the  first  general  treasurer  of  the  society.  The 
following  were  then  elected  to  constitute,  w^th  the  sec- 
retary and  treasurer,  a  board  of  management :  Bishop 
J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  senior  bishop,  president ;  Bishops 
Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  David  Edwards,  and  Lewis  Davis, 
vice-presidents  ;  Revs.  William  Longstreet,  Daniel  Shuck, 
and  D.  B.  Crouse,  and  Messrs.  T.  N.  Sowers  and  John 
Dodds.  Thus  organized,  the  Board  of  Missions  was  now 
ready  to  begin  active  and  aggressive  work. 

At  this  time,  in  1853,  there  were  in  the  Church  four- 
teen annual  conferences,  namely,  the  Pennsylvania, 
East  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Allegheny,  Scioto,  Miami, 
Muskingum,  Sandusky,  Illinois,  Wabash,  Indiana,  White 
River,  St.  Joseph,  and  Iowa.  The  church  membership 
scarcely   aggregated   a   full   fifty   thousand.     Of  ministers 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  429 

there  were  about  four  hundred  in  the  itinerant  ranks  and 
about  three  hundred  local.  Four  conferences,  however,  as 
we  have  seen,  were  organized  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1853,  namely,  the  Ohio  German,  the  Michigan,  the 
Auglaize,  and  the  Des  Moines,  the  latter  by  separation 
from  the  Iowa.  The  ministers  and  membership  in  these 
new  conferences  were  included  in  the  statistical  estimates 
just  given. 

About  this  time  the  Church  entered  upon  a  new  period 
of  activity.  The  educational  spirit,  as  elsewhere  seen  in 
these  pages,  was  asserting  itself  in  the  founding  of  col- 
leges, and  the  missionary  spirit  was  reaching  .out  into 
new  fields,  and  many  new  outposts  of  the  Church  were 
being  established.  At  the  very  time  when  the  General 
Conference  of  1853  was  in  session,  a  colony  of  United 
Brethren  from  Indiana  had  entered  upon  its  long  and 
wearisome  journey  to  Oregon.  This  new  territory  had 
then  but  recently  been  opened  to  immigration,  and  these 
pioneers  started  for  this  distant  land  of  promise  not  only 
to  seek  homes  for  themselves  and  their  families,  but  also 
to  establish  in  that  new  country  the  Church  which  they 
loved.  The  colonists  were  under  the  leadership  of  Revs. 
T.  J.  Connor  and  J.  Kenoyer,  men  who  gave  themselves 
a  cheerful  offering  for  this  service.  The  route  overland, 
most  of  the  way  through  territories  where  the  faces  of 
white  men  were  then  but  seldom  seen,  w^as  attended  with 
much  difficulty  and  hardship.  But  the  journey  over  the 
hot  and  dreary  plains  and  through  the  dangerous  moun- 
tain passes  was  at  last  accomplished,  and  the  courageous 
pioneers  in  due  time  laid  the  foundations  for  the  Oregon 
Conference,  and  the  beginnings  of  the  work  in  the  extreme 
northwestern  section  of  the  United  States.  The  minis- 
ters immediately  began  preaching  to  their  neighbors,  and 
made  visits  for   this   purpose   to   neighboring  districts   as 


430  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

often  as  their  straitened  circumstances  would  permit.  The 
divine  blessing  rested  upon  their  work,  regular  appoint- 
ments were  established  and  classes  formed,  the  ministerial 
force  was  enlarged,  and  two  years  later,  in  1855,  the 
Oregon  Conference  was  organized.  In  the  absence  of  any 
regular  bishop,  Mr.  Connor  presided  as  bishop  pro  tempore. 
By  this  time  they  had  formed  societies  in  Yam  Hill,  Polk, 
Marion,  Benton,  Linn,  Lane,  and  Umpqua  counties,  and 
had  made  frequent  prospecting  tours  to  regions  beyond. 

We  have  seen  elsewhere  in  these  pages ^  that  as  early 
as  1825  Rev.  Jacob  Erb,  afterward  Bishop  Erb,  made  a 
visit  to  Canada.  This  was  in  company  with  J.  Christian 
Smith,  the  two  visiting  and  preaching  at  various  points, 
including  also  northwestern  New  York.  This  prospecting 
tour  was  undertaken  on  their  own  responsibility.  Two 
years  later,  in  1827,  Mr.  Erb  was  appointed  to  travel 
a  mission,  in  the  same  regions,  called  the  "New  York 
Mission."  He  was  then  a  young  man,  having  joined  the 
conference  just  four  years  previously.  But  he  undertook 
the  work  with  true  zeal,  traveling  often  long  distances  on 
foot.  The  Master,  who  said,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway," 
put  his  blessing  upon  the  labors  of  the  young  missionary, 
and  many  converts  were  numbered  among  those  who  heard 
his  words.  The  conference  of  which  Mr.  Erb  was  a 
member  was  the  original  conference  of  the  Church,  no 
division  of  the  work  having  yet  been  made  in  the  East. 
Occasional  subsequent  visits  were  made  by  Mr.  Erb  to 
this  field,  but  the  work  received  no  regular  attention  until 
1853,  and  many  of  those  whom  he  had  gathered  together 
found  their  way  into  other  communions.  In  the  year 
1853  Bishop  Erb  visited  Canada  again,  and  was  soon 
afterward  followed  by  Israel  Sloane,  of  the  Scioto  Con- 
ference,  who   was   sent  by   the    Missionary    Board.      Mr. 

ip.  273;  see  also  Lawrence's  History,  Vol.  II.,  pp.  226,  227. 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  431 

Sloane's  work  proved  very  successful,  and  three  years 
later  had  so  far  grown  that  Bishop  Glossbrenner  organized 
the  Canada,  now  Ontario,  Conference,  with  six  itinerant 
ministers,  and  something  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
members. 

The  impulse  given  to  the  missionary  work  by  the  organ- 
ization of  the  society  in  1853  was  felt  in  many  directions, 
among  them  that  of  southwestern  Missouri.  This  region 
was  visited  by  Bishop  Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  and  Rev. 
Josiah  Terrell  in  that  year.  They  preached  the  word  in 
many  localities,  and  organized  a  number  of  societies,  form- 
ing what  was  then  known  as  the  Southwest  District.  In 
1854  the  work  had  so  far  grown  that  Bishop  Edwards 
organized  it  into  a  mission  conference.  Annual  sessions 
were  held  until  1859,  when  the  excesses  of  border  ruffian- 
ism had  become  so  formidable  that  the  work  was  permitted 
to  decline,  and  no  further  sessions  were  held  until  after 
the  close  of  the  War.  The  strong  antislavery  principles 
of  the  Church  made  it  perilous  for  our  ministers  and 
people  in  that  part  of  Missouri  when  the  determination 
to  carry  slavery  into  Kansas  had  become,  among  the  pro- 
slavery  classes,  a  violent  and  murderous  frenzy. 

About  the  same  time  the  Missionary  Board  began  to 
direct  its  operations  also  into  Kansas,  that  fertile  country 
lying  west  of  Missouri,  into  which,  in  1854,  emigration 
w^as  beginning  to  pour  its  tide  of  new  settlers.  The  coun- 
try had  then  just  been  opened  up  for  occupancy,  and  its 
inviting  fields  presented  a  strong  attraction  to  people  who 
were  seeking  for  new  homes  in  the  West.  The  settlers 
were  mostly  from  the  free  States  of  the  North,  and  their 
purpose  was  to  build  up  a  strong,  free  commonwealth  to 
add  to  the  great  sisterhood  of  States.  Others  were  from 
the  South,  and  were  equally  determined  that  Kansas 
should     become    a    slave    State.      At    that    period    there 


432  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

was  ou  the  part  of  the  supporters  of  slavery  throughout 
the  South  an  intense  determination  to  press  the  institu- 
tion into  every  possible  available  foot  of  territory.  The 
famous  fugitive-slave  law,  whose  passage  by  Congress 
they  had  secured,  and  which  for  a  series  of  years  dis- 
honored our  national  statutes,  degraded  every  citizen  of 
the  North  to  the  position  of  a  slave-catcher,  if  his  service 
should  be  called  for,  with  fines  and  imprisonment  if  he 
declined  to  obey.  In  national  politics  the  extension  of 
slavery  into  new  Territories,  or  its  restriction  to  the  States 
in  which  it  then  existed,  and  its  final  complete  abolition, 
was  the  subject  of  incessant  and  bitter  contention.  It 
was  the  agitation  of  these  questions  which  led  to  the 
great  War  of  the  Kebellion  and  the  overthrow  of  the 
institution.  But  before  this  colossal  conflict  was  fully 
precipitated  there  was  for  some  years  a  preliminary  bor- 
der war  between  the  settlers  from  the  Northern  States 
and  those  from  the  South,  the  latter  being  supported  by 
armed  raiders  from  Missouri,  who  sought  by  intimida- 
tion and  frequent  assassination  to  force  slavery  into  this 
then  new  Territory. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  the  Rev.  W.  A. 
Cardwell,  of  the  White  River  Conference,  Indiana,  appeared 
as  the  first  missionary  of  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
establishing  his  home  near  Lecompton.  Here  also  the 
first  class  was  formed  and  the  first  church  built.  He  was 
soon  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  other  missionaries  sent 
out  by  the  board.  These  were  Samuel  S.  Snyder,  of  the 
Allegheny  Conference,  who  settled  near  Lawrence ;  not 
long  after,  J.  S.  Gingerich,  also  of  the  Allegheny,  and 
next  Josiah  Terrell,  of  the  White  River  Conference.  In 
1855,  Mr.  Bright,  referring  to  the  troubles  which  prevailed, 
wrote  :  "  The  political  sky  in  Kansas  is  cloudy  at  present, 
but  freedom  must  in  the  end  prevail.     If  Kansas  should 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  433 

ever  be  a  slave  State,  we  ought  not  to  abandon  it.  The 
gospel  of  Christ  is  light,  and  wherever  the  dark  cloud 
of  slavery  is  spread,  there  the  light  should  be  diffused. 
Through  sore  troubles  and  persecutions  our  brethren  con- 
tinue to  prosecute  their  work,  frequently  mobbed,  waylaid, 
shot  at,  threatened,  troubled  on  every  side,  but  not  in 
despair."  Bravely  they  held  their  ground,  their  work 
enlarging  in  their  hands.  In  October,  1857,  Bishop 
Edwards,  by  previous  appointment,  visited  them,  and 
on  the  30th  of  the  month  organized  the  Kansas  Con- 
ference. Other  helpers  had  by  this  time  joined,  and  the 
names  of  nine  itinerants  were  enrolled,  and  nearly  two 
hundred  lay  members  were  reported. 

The  work  under  the  care  of  the  Missionary  Board  in 
southwestern  Missouri  was  for  a  time  suspended,  on  ac- 
count of  the  perils  attending  its  prosecution,  but  that  in 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  State  was  pushed  forward 
with  added  vigor,  by  ministers  from  the  Des  Moines  Con- 
ference, Iowa.  The  General  Conference  of  1857  accord- 
ingly instructed  Bishop  Edwards  to  organize  a  conference 
in  that  part  of  the  State,  and  he  held  the  initial  session 
of  the  Missouri  Conference  in  the  fall  of  1858.  Three 
hundred  and  fifty -eight  members  were  reported,  and  the 
names  of  nine  ministers  enrolled.  A  second  session  was 
held  in  the  spring  of  1859,  when  the  number  of  members 
had  increased  to  eight  hundred  and  nine.  It  was  the 
beginning  of  a  good  work,  which  has  increased  in  solidity 
ever  since. 

In  Wisconsin  the  Rev.  G.  G.  Nickey  and  others  had 
begun  work,  and  had  succeeded  in  organizing  a  number 
of  congregations.  Regular  quarterly  conferences  were  held, 
and  a  vigorous  and  hopeful  church  life  was  springing 
up.  The  work  having  been  brought  to  the  attention  of 
the  General  Conference  of  1857,  that  body  directed  Bishop 

28 


434  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Lewis  Davis  to  organize  it  into  a  mission  conference,  and 
that  the  Missionary  Board  make  proper  provisions  for 
its  further  prosecution.  The  Wisconsin  Conference  was 
accordingly  organized  in  1858,  with  twenty-one  preachers 
and  five  hundred  and  fifty-four  members. 

The  General  Conference  of  1857  also  extended  special 
recognition  to  the  Kentucky  Conference,  which  had  been 
organized  in  1850,  by  directing  that  it  be  placed  under 
the  care  of  the  Missionary  Board,  and  at  the  same  time 
also  the  board  took  under  its  care  the  Parkersburg 
Conference,  the  General  Conference  having  separated  its 
territory  from  the  Virginia  Conference.  Parkersburg  was 
organized  as  a  separate  conference  in  1857.  And  to  these 
is  yet  to  be  added  the  Minnesota  Conference,  organized 
by  Bishop  Davis  in  the  fall  of  1857. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  in  the  first  four  years  following 
the  organization  of  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  not  less  than  nine  annual  conferences  were 
added,  or  ready  to  be  added,  to  the  Church,  namely,  the 
Oregon,  Canada,  Southern  Missouri,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Min- 
nesota, Wisconsin,  Parkersburg,  and  Kentucky.  All  these 
were  recognized  as  mission  conferences,  and  received  sup- 
port in  greater  or  less  degree  from  the  funds  of  the  society. 

II.       THE    MISSION    IN    AFRICA. 

The  mission  work  thus  far  spoken  of  was  limited  to 
the  United  States  and  Territories  and  the  Dominion  of 
Canada.  Previous  to  the  organization  of  the  general 
Missionary  Board,  in  1853,  no  work  in  any  foreign  coun- 
try was  undertaken  by  the  Church.  A  most  important 
forward  step  was  therefore  soon  to  be  taken  whereby  the 
Church  was  to  be  placed  in  line  with  other  churches  in 
the  work  of  giving  the  gospel  of  Jesus  to  the  heathen 
world.     The  first  annual  meeting  of   the   Board   of    Mis- 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  435 

sions  was  therefore  to  be  an  initial  assembling  in  more 
than  one  sense.  The  meeting  was  held  on  June  1,  1854, 
at  Westerville,  Ohio.  The  members  of  the  board,  new 
to  the  responsibility  which  the  General  Conference  had 
laid  upon  them,  assembled  with  anxious  prayer  for  divine 
direction  during  their  session.  And  never  since  the  day 
when  at  Antioch  the  Spirit  said  to  the  church,  "Separate 
me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereunto  I  have 
called  them,"  was  the  leading  of  the  Spirit  more  mani- 
festly present  than  when  the  unanimous  impulse  was 
awakened  in  the  hearts  of  these  men,  and  the  resolution 
fixed  upon,  to  begin  somewhere  among  the  heathen  the 
work  of  a  Christian  mission.  It  was  a  very  brief  reso- 
lution in  which,  after  full  deliberation,  they  gave  expres- 
sion to  this  high  purpose  : 

Resolved,  That  we  send  one  or  more  missionaries  to  Africa  as 
soon  as  possible. 

Scarcely  more  than  a  dozen  words  were  sufficient,  but, 
like  that  divine  utterance  at  the  beginning,  "Let  there 
be  light ! "  they  were  laden  with  a  great  meaning,  and 
were  the  first  dawning  of  that  blessed  illumination  which 
now  shines  with  so  bright  a  radiance  in  those  lands  to 
which  the  missionaries  were  sent.  The  question  as  to  the 
country  in  which  the  Church  should  begin  a  mission 
was  fully  canvassed,  and  Africa  was  chosen  as  being  the 
most  deeply  sunk  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism  and  the 
most  neglected  by  the  Christian  world. 

Among  those  whose  hearts  God  had  touched  with  the 
missionary  impulse  in  advance  of  this  meeting  of  the  board 
was  the  Rev.  William  J.  Shuey,  of  the  Miami  Conference, 
then  a  young  man  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  ministry,  an 
able  preacher  and  full  of  spiritual  fervor,  a  man  whose 
name  was  destined  to  become  familiar  to  the  Church 
through  a  long  series  of  years  in  connection  with  another 


436  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  her  most  important  departments  of  work.  He  was 
chosen  by  the  board  to  become  the  first  missionary  of 
the  Church  to  Africa.  He  was  charged  with  the  special 
duty  of  selecting  and  locating  a  mission,  rather  than  that 
of  remaining  as  a  permanent  laborer  in  the  field.  The 
board  instructed  its  executive  committee  to  choose  other 
missionaries  to  accompany  Mr.  Shuey  in  the  work.  Not 
long  afterward  the  committee  appointed  Rev.  D.  C.  Kum- 
ler,  M.D.,  and  Rev.  D.  K.  Fhckinger,  both  of  the  Miami 
Conference,  as  Mr.  Shuey's  associates.  Just  forty-two  years 
ago,  in  the  month  of  January,  1855,  these  first  foreign 
missionaries  of  the  Church  set  sail  from  New  York  in  a 
small  vessel  for  their  distant  destination.  After  a  voyage 
of  thirty-four  days,  on  February  26  they  arrived  at  Free- 
town, Sierra  Leone,  West  Africa. 

The  missionaries  remained  a  few  days  at  Freetown  for 
rest  and  observation.  They  soon  found  that  they  were 
indeed  in  a  heathen  land,  though  civilization  and  Chris- 
tianization  had  here  begun  to  do  their  work.  They  found 
abundant  work  here  waiting  to  be  done,  but  not  wishing 
to  build  on  another's  foundation,  or  to  reap  where  others 
had  sown,  they  determined  to  seek  a  field  where  the  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  had  never  been  heard  of,  to  bring  light  where 
men  sat  in  the  utter  darkness  of  heathenism.  In  order 
to  acquaint  themselves  with  the  general  situation,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  select  wisely,  they  then  started  on  a  voyage 
southward  along  the  coast  for  Good  Hope  Station,  on 
Sherbro  Island,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from 
Freetown.  At  this  point  the  American  ^lissionary  Asso- 
ciation (Congregational)  had  been  for  some  years  operating 
a  mission.  They  were  here  received  with  the  utmost  cor- 
diality and  kindness,  and  the  counsels  of  the  missionaries 
stationed  here  further  proved  of  great  value  to  them. 
From  this  point  they  made   numerous  expeditions,   both 


THE   GENERAL   MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  487 

along  the  coast  and  up  some  of  the  rivers,  with  the  view 
of  finding  a  site  that  should  offer  the  greatest  advantages 
as  a  starting-point  for  a  mission,  and  in  time  a  head- 
quarters from  which  to  work  a  larger  field.  They  felt 
that  the  choice  of  location  must  not  be  made  hastily, 
since  so  much  depended  on  the  wisdom  and  care  with 
which  it  should  be  made.  Among  the  many  places  visited 
was  Mokelli,  a  town  situated  on  the  Jong  River,  about 
sixty  miles  from  the  coast,  and  having  a  population  of 
about  five  or  six  hundred.  Contiguous  to  it  were  other 
towns,  making  within  a  small  circuit  a  population  of  two 
thousand  or  more.  The  climate  and  healthfulness,  with 
all  other  conditions,  seemed  to  mark  this  as  the  most 
favorable  spot  they  had  found,  and,  taking  all  things 
into  account,  they  decided  to  locate  the  mission  at  this 
place,  and  commence  work  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
next  step  to  take  was  to  secure  land  for  a  building  and 
other  uses  of  a  mission,  and  for  this  purpose  it  was 
important  to  get  a  written  title  duly  signed  by  the  head- 
man, or  chief,  of  the  tribe.  The  chief,  or  king,  was  seen, 
and  the  terms  of  a  bargain  were  agreed  upon,  and  a 
properly  executed  title  was  promised.  But  African  chiefs 
are  proverbially  slow  in  a  matter  of  this  kind,  and  before 
all  the  proceedings  were  concluded  the  missionaries  left 
for  Freetown.  It  was  understood,  however,  that  Mr. 
Flickinger  would  return  to  Mokelli  to  complete  the  nego- 
tiations. The  matter  of  the  location  being,  as  was  believed, 
settled,  Mr.  Shuey  felt  that  he  had  accomplished  the  service 
with  which  he  was  charged,  and  Dr.  Kumler  having  be- 
come a  victim  to  the  dreaded  African  fever,  it  was  deemed 
advisable  that  they  two  should  return  to  America,  leaving 
Mr.  Flickinger  to  prosecute  further  the  work  for  which 
the  way  had  been  so  far  prepared. 

After  their  departure  Mr.  Flickinger  returned  to  Good 


438  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Hope  Station,  where,  soon  after,  in  the  month  of  July,  he 
was  attacked  by  the  African  fever,  and  greatly  disabled 
for  a  long  period.  After  partial  recovery  he  preached 
often  to  the  native  congregation  at  Good  Hope,  and  also 
made  frequent  tours  to  various  outlying  points,  preaching 
to  the  natives  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  also  acquainting 
himself  more  perfectly  with  the  aspects  of  different  places. 
And  now  the  tardiness  of  the  wily  Mokelli  chief  in  signing 
a  deed  of  conveyance  proved  that  a  serious  mistake  had 
been  made.  Mr.  Flickinger,  learning  subsequently  that  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  year  the  river  Jong  was  not 
navigable,  and  that  access  to  the  town  from  the  coast  was 
difficult  and  necessarily  dangerous,  and  having  made  a  visit 
to  Shaingay  and  noted  the  advantages  which  it  presented, 
determined  upon  a  change  of  location  for  the  mission. 
The  wisdom  of  this  determination  has  since  become  very 
manifest,  since  Shaingay  presents,  with  convenience  of 
access,  as  healthful  a  position  as  may  be  found  anywhere 
along  the  coast.  After  much  delay,  indeed  not  until  after 
Mr.  Flickinger's  return  to  America,  and  his  second  visit 
to  Africa,  was  a  title  to  this  situation  secured.  This  point 
has  since  become  the  entrance  way  to  all  our  missionary 
operations  in  Africa — the  Antioch  of  the  Church  in 
reaching  the  heathen  fields  beyond. 

On  his  second  trip,  entered  upon  early  in  January,  1S57, 
Mr.  Flickinger  was  accompanied  by  William  Barton  Witt, 
M.D.,  of  Cincinnati,  and  Rev.  J.  K.  Billheimer,  a  young 
man  of  the  Virginia  Conference.  Dr.  Witt  was  an  able 
and  consecrated  physician,  and  Mr.  Billheimer  was  a  man 
of  fervent  spirit,  who  gave  himself  without  reserve  to  the 
work.  The  appointment  of  these  men  gave  great  satisfac- 
tion to  the  Church  at  home.  Dr.  Witt's  stay  in  Africa 
was  unavoidably  abridged,  his  return  to  America  after  a 
year  and   a  half  of  service  being  necessitated  by  broken 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  439 

health  in  consequence  of  repeated  attacks  of  the  fateful 
African  fever.  Mr.  Billheimer  remained  to  give  first  two 
years  and  afterward  several  additional  years  of  devoted 
labor  to  the  work.  Mr.  Flickinger  soon  returned  to 
America,  and  was  elected  by  the  General  Conference 
of  May,  1857,  to  the  office  of  corresponding  secretary  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  Mr.  Bright's  health  having  so  far 
failed  as  to  make  further  service  for  him  impossible. 

After  an  absence  of  about  nine  months  Mr.  Billheimer 
was  again  on  the  field,  now  to  complete  the  mission 
building,  the  erection  of  which  he  had  previously  begun. 
Eev.  J.  A.  Williams,  a  native  convert  from  Freetown,  in 
whose  charge  he  had  left  the  mission  during  his  return 
to  America,  assisted  him  greatly  in  this  work.  And  now, 
the  house  being  ready  for  use,  with  two  rooms  for  living 
and  a  larger  room  for  chapel  and  school  uses,  Mr.  Bill- 
heimer entered  again  upon  the  work  with  new  inspira- 
tion and  hope.  A  few  years  later  another  visit  to  America 
became  imperative  for  the  recuperation  of  broken  health. 
When  he  started  a  third  time  for  his  chosen  field,  in 
October,  1862,  he  took  with  him  a  companion  and 
sharer  in  his  toils,  having  married  Miss  Amanda  L. 
Hanby,  a  daughter  of  Ex-Bishop  Hanby.  Mrs.  Billheimer 
possessed  recognized  fitness  for  missionary  work,  and  was 
duly  appointed  to  the  work  by  the  Missionary  Board. 

Meanwhile,  the  work  had  begun  to  bear  fruit  among  the 
native  heathen.  With  the  erection  of  the  mission-house 
interested  audiences  were  gathered  into  its  chapel.  Among 
these  some  listened  with  appreciation  to  the  gospel  message. 
Among  the  early  converts  was  Lucy,  a  daughter  of  Chief 
Caulker.  The  king,  though  he  had  given  a  title  for  the 
ground  on  which  the  mission-house  was  erected,  was  utterly 
out  of  sympathy  with  the  objects  of  the  mission,  and 
indeed  did  all  he  could  to  hinder  its  work.     He  and  his 


440  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

wife  bitterly  opposed  Lucy  in  becoming  a  Christian.  She, 
however,  was  resolute  in  her  purpose,  and  remained  faithful 
to  the  religion  she  espoused.  Some  years  later,  in  1871, 
the  king  himself  laid  down  his  opposition,  and  died  an 
avowed  and  sincere  Christian. 

In  1860  the  Board  of  Missions  sought  again  to  strengthen 
the  hands  of  Mr.  Billheimer  by  sending  out  the  Rev. 
C.  0.  Wilson.  He  arrived  at  Freetown  in  November.  He 
remained  only  a  few  months,  when  he  was  stricken  down 
with  the  fever  while  on  a  business  trip  to  Freetown.  On 
his  partial  recovery  his  physician  insisted  upon  his  imme- 
diate return  to  America  as  the  only  hope  of  preserving 
his  life.  He  obeyed  the  order,  and  reluctantly  returned. 
Then,  lest  complaint  be  made  of  the  useless  expenditure 
of  money  by  the  board,  he  paid  out  of  his  own  purse  all 
the  expenses  incurred. 

Mr.  Billheimer's  third  visit  to  Africa  was  not  to  continue 
for  more  than  about  a  year  and  a  half.  After  toiling  hope- 
fully for  a  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were  disabled  by 
the  fever,  which  has  destroyed  the  lives  of  so  many  mis- 
sionaries, but  of  which  so  few  of  those  sent  out  by  the 
United  Brethren  Church  have  died.  After  a  long  period 
of  utter  prostration  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  left  to  do 
except  to  return  to  America,  Mr.  Billheimer,  especially, 
feeling  that  his  work  in  Africa  was  done.  They  arrived 
at  home  in  May,  1864. 

Other  laborers,  as  time  passed,  were  raised  up.  Among 
these  were  Rev.  0.  Hadley,  of  the  St.  Joseph  Conference, 
and  his  wife.  They  set  sail  for  Africa  in  October,  1866. 
After  two  and  a  half  years  of  faithful  service  they  returned 
home  in  the  spring  of  1869.  Mr.  Hadley  was  in  delicate 
health  before  going  to  the  mission,  and  died  soon  after 
their  return,  at  their  home  near  Lafayette,  Indiana. 
Fourteen  years  had  now  passed  since  the  first  mission- 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  441 

aries  sent  out  by  the  board  had  landed  in  Africa.  They 
were  years  of  interest,  of  anxiety,  of  high  hopes,  and  much 
disappointment.  A  number  of  missionaries  had  been  sent 
out,  followed  by  the  earnest  prayers  of  the  Church,  and 
now  in  the  spring  of  1869  not  one  of  the  number  was 
left  on  the  field,  the  mission  being  again  committed  to 
that  faithful  native  Christian  minister.  Rev.  J.  A.  Wil- 
liams. At  this  time  many  in  the  Church  despaired  of 
the  final  success  of  the  mission,  and  some  in  high  places 
began  to  entertain  the  thought  of  leaving  it  to  other 
hands.  It  was  in  May  of  that  year  that  the  General 
Conference  assembled  at  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  and  it 
is  to  be  recorded  that,  as  expressing  the  loss  of  hope  for 
the  mission,  a  resolution  was  actually  introduced  in  that 
body  proposing  its  discontinuance.  The  resolution  was 
anxiously  discussed,  and,  to  the  honor  of  the  conference 
be  it  said,  it  was  voted  down  almost  unanimously. 

But  now  a  brighter  day  was  at  hand.  The  Lord  honored 
the  faith  which  triumphed  in  the  day  of  darkness.  In 
the  city  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  the  Third  United  Brethren 
Church  (colored),  was  a  humble  layman,  intelligent, 
possessing  sound  judgment,  a  sincere  Christian,  a  porter 
in  a  carpet  store,  Mr.  Joseph  Gomer,  of  pure  African 
descent.  The  Lord  placed  the  seal  of  his  Spirit  upon  this 
man,  and  called  him,  with  his  excellent  wife,  to  this  work 
among  their  kinsmen  after  the  flesh.  They  responded  to 
the  call,  were  duly  consecrated  to  the  service,  and  after 
the  preparation  of  a  suitable  outfit  they  started  for  the 
great  work  to  which  God  so  manifestly  called  them.  They 
sailed  from  New  York  in  December,  1870.  Their  advent 
to  the  mission  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  era.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gomer  soon  found  the  way  to  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  The  work  began  to  enlarge  under  their  hands. 
Preaching  places  multiplied,  and  native  helpers  arose  from 


442  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

among  the  converts.  A  long  period  of  service  lay  before 
them,  and  before  Mr.  Gomer's  death  converts  were  num- 
bered by  thousands,  and  an  organized  annual  conference 
of  preachers  was  holding  its  yearly  sessions.  Mr.  Gomer 
made  his  last  visit  to  America  in  1889,  attending  the 
General  Conference  at  York,  Pennsylvania.  He  returned 
to  Africa,  dying  on  the  field  in  September,  1892,  at  the 
age  of  about  sixty-five  years.  Mr.  Gomer  acquired  wide 
influence  among  the  native  African  tribes,  frequently  act- 
ing as  umpire  in  their  differences,  and  sometimes  even 
settling  wars  between  opposing  chiefs.  Mrs.  Gomer  died 
in  December,  1896,  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

In  the  year  1883  a  proposition  from  the  American  Mis- 
sionary Association  to  transfer  to  the  care  of  our  board  the 
Avery  and  Good  Hope  mission  stations  for  five  years  was 
received  and  considered  by  our  board.  The  proposition  in- 
cluded the  annual  payment  of  five  thousand  dollars  to  our 
board  for  the  service  to  be  rendered.  It  also  carried  with  it 
the  pledge  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  given  by  a  generous 
friend  in  England,  to  be  expended  in  the  building  or 
purchase  of  a  small  steamer  for  the  use  of  our  mission  in 
Africa.  The  proposition  was  accepted  by  our  board,  and 
for  the  period  named  these  stations  were  operated  by  our 
board.  The  steamer  also  was  built  and  sent  to  Africa.  The 
latter  proved  rather  a  costly  experiment.  In  the  absence  of 
skilled  engineers  and  mechanics,  to  run  the  boat  or  make  re- 
pairs when  needed,  the  boat  was  used  at  great  disadvantage, 
and  after  a  while  abandoned  as  a  mission  boat.  On  Jan- 
uary 1,  1889,  the  annuity  ceased,  but  the  Avery  and  Good 
Hope  stations  have  been  left  under  the  care  of  our  board. 

In  1883  Revs.  J.  M.  Lesher  and  W.  S.  Sage  and  their 
wives  were  added  by  the  board  to  the  missionary  force  in 
Africa.  These  appointments  were  made  partly  on  account 
of  the   increased   responsibility   of  the   board   by   having 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  443 

accepted  the  proposition  of  the  American  Board  to  supply 
the  stations  just  spoken  of.  They  reached  Shaingay  on 
the  6th  of  October  of  that  year,  and  rendered  valuable 
service  to  the  mission  during  their  stay  of  nearly  three 
years.  A  portion  of  this  time  marked  a  very  rapid 
advance  in  gaining  converts  from  heathenism.  In  1885 
the  church  membership  of  the  mission  numbered  1,526. 
In  1886  this  number  had  increased  to  2,629. 

Among  the  most  useful  servants  of  the  mission  work 
was  Tom  Tucker,  one  of  the  first  converts  under  Mr. 
Billheimer,  reclaimed  from  heathenism  at  the  same  time 
with  Lucy  Caulker.  He  became  not  only  efficient  in 
business  matters,  but  also  a  useful  preacher.  Finally, 
while  he  was  serving  as  pastor  of  one  of  the  stations,  the 
Master's  call  came,  and  this  good  man  went  to  his  reward. 
Among  his  last  words  were  these:  "I  am  ready  to  die 
and  go  to  reign  with  my  Saviour.  I  feel  that  God  is  with 
me  all  the  time."     His  death  occurred  September  13,  1885. 

In  the  year  1886  the  results  of  the  mission  work  were 
partially  summed  up  in  the  corresponding  secretary's 
annual  report  to  the  board  at  its  meeting  in  May.  There 
were  nine  native  preachers,  four  of  whom  had  received 
regular  ordination.  Added  to  these  were  fifty-three  lay 
workers,  making  a  total  native  force  of  sixty-two.  Two 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  towns  were  on  the  list  of  the 
places  statedly  visited.  The  natives  paid  for  the  year  then 
closed  two  hundred  and  forty-six  dollars  for  the  support 
of  the  work.  The  lay  membership,  we  have  just  seen, 
was  2,629. 

Other  workers  have  given  various  periods  of  service  to 
the  mission  in  Africa.  Among  the  most  efficient  of  these 
is  Rev.  L.  0.  Burtner,  who  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  the  mission  in  May,  1892.  His  wife,  a  daughter  of 
Dr.   E.   Light,   chaplain   of   the    National    Soldiers'   Home 


444  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

at  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  appointed  to  the  mission  with  him. 
Mr.  Burtner  saw  early  the  importance  of  teaching  the  native 
converts  self-reliance  and  self-dependence,  and  resolved 
that  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power  he  would  enforce  this  as  a 
duty.  The  general  policy  hitherto  had  been  to  supply  to 
too  great  an  extent  the  needs  of  the  mission  by  help  from 
America.  He  found  it  a  slow  and  difficult  task  to  enforce 
this  principle,  remarking  in  his  latest  report  to  the  board  : 

"It  was  apparent  to  me  from  the  beginning  of  my 
oversight  of  the  missions  that  a  change  of  policy  was 
necessary  in  order  to  secure  greater  progress.  The  rule 
was  that  those  employed  on  the  mission  depended  on  it 
for  almost  everything.  I  at  once  sought  to  instill  the  idea 
of  self-support  in  missions,  and  directed  my  efforts  at  first 
along  the  line  of  church  erection.  It  required  one  year 
for  the  people  to  be  assured  that  I  would  not  build  and 
keep  in  repair  their  native  chapels.  It  took  another  year 
for  them  to  learn  that  they  could  do  it  themselves,  and 
a  third  year  to  go  to  work  and  do  it.  Last  year  we  wit- 
nessed the  completion  of  four  native  chapels,  and  this 
year  one  of  stone  foundation,  hard-wood  frame,  and  iron 
roof  is  being  built,  and  will  be  ready  by  January  next. 
We  also  require  the  people  at  all  out-stations  to  clothe 
and  feed  their  children  and  supply  them  with  school- 
books.  In  short,  our  present  policy  is  not  to  do  any- 
thing for  the  people  which  they  can  and  ought  to  do  for 
themselves.  Self-reliance  greatly  increases  their  desire  and 
capacity  to  do  for  themselves." 

Better  words  than  these  could  not  be  spoken  in  regard 
to  the  policy  which  ought  to  be  pursued.  Perhaps  the 
most  serious  fault  of  earlier  administrations  of  the  work 
in  Africa  was  that  of  doing  too  much  for  the  converts  in 
material  things,  instead  of  teaching  them  how  to  do  for 
themselves,  and  insisting  upon  it  that  they  must  do  it. 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  445 

At  the  present  time  the  membership  under  the  care 
of  the  general  Board  of  Missions,  together  with  that  of 
the  missions  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association,  as 
included  in  the  African  conference,  is  about  six  thousand 
souls,  with  seventeen  itinerant  preachers.  In  the  missions 
of  the  parent  board  there  are  seven  schools,  ranging  in 
attendance  of  pupils  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  or  about  four  hundred  pupils  in  all.  In  this  the 
Rufus  Clark  and  Wife  Training  School  is  not  included. 
The  superintendency  of  the  missions  is  at  this  time  in- 
trusted to  Rev.  J.  R.  King,  Mr.  Burtner  and  his  wife 
having  returned  to  America  to  recruit  failing  health. 

The  Training  School. 

Among  the  most  useful  aids  for  the  prosecution  of  the 
mission  work  in  Africa  is  the  Rufus  Clark  and  Wife 
Theological  Training  School,  established  at  Shaingay, 
through  the  munificence  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rufus  Clark, 
of  Denver,  Colorado.  There  had  long  been  a  serious 
need  for  a  school  of  a  higher  grade  for  the  training  of 
native  preachers  and  teachers.  In  a  limited  way  this 
work  was  undertaken  in  America.  But  it  was  plainly 
impracticable,  on  account  of  expense,  as  well  as  for  other 
reasons,  to  bring  to  this  country  for  suitable  education  a 
sufficient  number  of  men  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  work.  The  gift  of  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark,  in  1886,  was  most  opportune. 
A  building  of  stone,  sixty-six  feet  in  length  by  thirty-one 
in  width,  and  two  stories  high,  was  in  due  time  erected, 
and  the  school  was  opened  on  February  21,  1887,  with 
eight  students,  three  of  whom  were  in  the  department 
of  theology.  Five  years  later  sixteen  students  were  en- 
rolled in  the  training  department,  with  a  large  contingent 
in  the  common  branches  of  study.     It  is  a  fact  of  special 


446  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

interest  that  a  large  part  of  the  stone  used  in  this  build- 
ing, including  the  corner-stone,  came  from  the  old  aban- 
doned slave  pens  of  John  Newton,  on  Plantain  Island, 
three  miles  distant.  Mr.  Newton,  it  will  be  remembered, 
was  once  a  noted  slave-trader,  and  after  his  conversion 
became  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  gospel.  All  the 
stone  for  the  building  was  generously  donated  by  Chief 
Neal  Caulker,  an  ardent  friend  of  the  mission.  The  first 
principal  of  the  school  w^as  Rev.  D.  F.  Wilberforce,  M.D.,  a 
native-born  African,  who  was  educated  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  by 
the  Board  of  Missions.  Mr.  Wilberforce  having  resigned  in 
1893,  Rev.  A.  T.  Howard  was  made  principal  in  1894.  An 
excellent  school  at  Bonthe,  under  the  care  of  the  board, 
numbers  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pupils. 

A  Home  of  Rest. 

The  long  ocean  voyage  to  the  home  land  for  mission- 
aries requiring  temporary  cessation  from  labor  has  been  a 
serious  obstacle  to  taking  needed  rest  in  time.  This  diffi- 
culty is  happily  in  process  of  removal.  Two  years  ago 
Bishop  Hott,  on  returning  from  an  episcopal  visit  to  Africa, 
urged  the  importance  of  providing  for  the  missionaries  a 
liome  of  rest  on  the  mountain  range  overlooking  Free- 
town and  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  It  was  proposed  to  build  a 
house  costing  from  twenty-two  hundred  to  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars.  The  proposition  at  once  met  with  favor, 
and  the  general  board  and  the  woman's  board  uniting  in 
the  enterprise,  the  raising  of  funds  was  soon  accomplished. 
The  building  is  now  nearing  completion,  the  stone  for  its 
construction  being  obtained  on  the  mountain.  Mount 
Leicester  is  sufficiently  elevated  to  ])e  above  the  malarial 
range,  and  the  atmosphere  is  thoroughly  healthful  and 
stimulating.  The  beauty  and  healthfulness  of  the  spot  has 
attracted  the  attention  of  other  mission  boards,  and  several 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  447 

such  homes  are  already  erected  there.  The  work  is  under 
the  superintendence  of  J.  R.  King  of  the  general  board, 
and  L.  A.  McGrew  of  the  woman's  board.  The  advantages 
of  having  such  a  home  near  at  hand,  to  which  the  fever- 
stricken  and  worn  laborers  may  retire  for  a  while  for  rest 
and  recuperation,  are  manifest,  and  this  place  will  doubtless 
prove  to  our  missionaries  a  blessing  of  inestimable  value. 

III.       THE    MISSION    IN    GERMANY. 

In  the  spring  of  1869,  when  so  many  despaired  of  the 
future  of  the  mission  work  in  Africa,  and  even  the  General 
Conference  entertained  for  discussion  a  proposition  to 
abandon  the  field,  a  new  light  suddenly  shone  forth. 
The  eclipse  of  faith  was  ended,  and,  instead  of  abandoning 
the  work  among  the  benighted  heathen,  a  proposition 
was  made,  before  the  new  board  then  chosen,  to  organize 
a  mission  in  Germany.  The  German  delegates  to  the 
General  Conference  were  especially  earnest  in  urging  that 
missionaries  be  sent  to  the  Fatherland,  who  should  bring 
to  its  people  the  living  spirit  of  a  true  evangelicism.  The 
proposition  was  favorably  entertained,  and  Rev.  C.  Bischoff, 
of  Zanesville,  Ohio,  was  appointed  the  first  United  Brethren 
missionary  to  Germany.  Mr.  Bischoff"  made  early  prepara- 
tions for  a  departure  for  his  field.  He  began  work,  and 
during  the  first  year  of  his  service  he  gathered  about  one 
hundred  members  into  his  fold.  This  mission  has  been 
productive  of  most  gratifying  results. 

IV.       THE    MISSION    IN    JAPAN. 

The  latest  work  undertaken  by  the  Board  of  Missions 
is  the  founding  of  a  mission  in  Japan.  At  the  meeting 
of  the  board  in  May,  1895,  the  question  of  establishing  a 
mission  in  some  new  foreign  field  was  under  consideration. 
China  and  Japan  were  proposed  as  offering  inviting  fields. 


448  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Upon  voting,  the  result  was  practically  unanimous  for 
Japan.  While  the  question  was  thus  considered  and 
decided,  the  Lord  was  providentially  preparing  the  work- 
men who  should  be  the  first  to  enter  the  new  field.  One 
of  these  was  George  K.  Irie,  who  had  been  for  several 
years  in  America,  and  was  then  pursuing  post-graduate 
studies  at  Lebanon  Valley  College.  Mr.  Irie  is  a  native- 
born  Japanese,  possessing  superior  intelligence,  a  winning 
address,  and  fine  social  standing  in  Japan.  His  grade 
upon  examination  at  the  close  of  the  college  year  entitled 
him  to  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy,  which  was 
awarded  him.  At  the  session  of  the  Miami  Conference 
in  Dayton,  in  September  following,  1895,  he  was,  upon 
due  examination  in  Christian  doctrine,  admitted  to  mem- 
bership, and  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Dr. 
Irie  w^as  appointed  by  the  board  to  the  charge  of  open- 
ing a  mission  in  Japan.  With  Dr.  Irie  during  his  stay  in 
Dayton  was  Mr.  U.  Yonayama,  also  a  converted  Japanese, 
and  a  young  man  of  large  promise.  He  was  authorized  to 
assist  in  the  work  of  the  proposed  mission.  These  young 
men  left  America  full  of  faith  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  as 
the  means  of  salvation  to  their  people.  Upon  reaching 
their  native  land  the  Lord  soon  placed  before  them  an  open 
door.  They  found  many  willing  to  hear  their  message, 
and  the  work  has  proceeded  most  encouragingly. 

But  the  Lord  also  soon  raised  up  others  to  joim  them 
in  their  w^ork.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  Rev.  S. 
Doi,  now  actively  at  work  in  Tokio  ;  Rev.  M.  Okamoto,  for 
a  short  time  pastor  of  the  First  United  Brethren  Church  in 
Tokio  ;  and  five  or  more  others,  of  whom  some  are  student 
preachers — young  men  in  the  schools,  but  beginning  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Mr.  Okamoto  had  an  inter- 
esting American  history.  The  well-known  missionary 
journal,  Tlie  Gospel  in  All  Lands,  says  of  him  that  several 


THE  GENERAL  MISSION ABY  SOCIETY  449 

years  ago  he  was  converted  in  the  Uttle  Japanese  mission 
in  Oakland,  CaHfornia.  He  was  then  in  training  for  a 
business  career,  but  the  Spirit  of  God  called  him  to 
another  sphere.  In  a  few  months  he  was  found  preaching 
the  gospel  in  Victoria,  British  Columbia.  Here  he  learned 
that  at  Port  Simpson,  six  hundred  miles  to  the  north,  on 
the  borders  of  Alaska,  there  was  a  colony  of  Japanese 
for  whom  nobody  cared.  He  took  shipping  at  the  open- 
ing of  winter  for  this  point,  preached  to  them  the  gospel 
of  Christ,  and  won  scores  to  the  Christian  faith.  Returning, 
he  resumed  his  work  at  Victoria,  preaching  also  at  Union, 
Fraser  River,  and  Vancouver,  forming  at  each  place  a 
mission  church.  He  toiled  through  these  years  in  great 
privation,  being  without  a  salary,  and  receiving  only  occa- 
sional means  of  support.  Pulmonary  trouble  drove  him 
south  to  a  milder  climate,  and  later,  his  life  being  despaired 
of,  friends  in  San  Francisco  sent  him  back  to  Japan.  For 
a  time  his  health  improved,  and  he  was  able  to  do  hard 
work.  Dr.  Irie,  who  knew  him  in  America,  in  conjunction 
with  his  fellow-laborers  appointed  him  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  in  Tokio.  After  a  short  period  of  faithful  service 
his  health  declined  again,  and  on  the  30th  of  November, 
1896,  he  passed  on  to  receive  his  crown. 

The  first  missionaries  appointed  by  our  board  to  Japan 
arrived  in  that  country  on  November  10,  1895.  A  little 
time  was  required  to  arrange  for  the  work,  and  they  date 
the  real  beginning  with  the  opening  of  1896.  Their  suc- 
cess has  been  quite  remarkable.  The  following  from  a 
letter  from  Dr.  Irie  to  Dr.  Bell,  the  missionary  secretary, 
under  date  of  October  13,  1896,  reporting  the  plans  and 
appointments  for  further  work,  has  much  the  appearance 
of  a  familiar  stationing-committee's  report : 

Tokio. — The  First  Church,  M.  Okanioto ;  Asakusa,  K.  Okada; 
Hoinjo,  suppUed  by  S.  Tashiro  ;  Kanda,  supplied  by  A.  Xakagawa. 

29 


450  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Shigaken.—  'Kussitm  and  Moriyama,  S.  Doi;  Hachiman,  Miua- 
kuchi,  and  Otsu  (capital  of  Shigaken),  to  be  opened  as  soon  as 
money  is  provided. 

Shizuokaken.—  Shiziioksi  and  Hanaamatsu,  two  men  will  be  ap- 
pointed as  soon  as  possible. 

Thus  does  this  work  in  that  far-off  land  beyond  the  seas 
open,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  with  the  most  cheering 
promise.  Dr.  Bell  about  a  year  ago  made  a  kind  of  epis- 
copal visit  to  the  mission,  and  found  everything  full  of 
encouragement.  He  w^as  received  everywhere  with  open 
doors  and  open  hearts,  and  returned  full  of  faith  and  hope 
for  the  future  of  the  mission  so  auspiciously  begun. 

V.       CHANGE    IN    ORGANIZATION. 

The  General  Conference  of  1893  made  a  very  important 
change  in  the  form  of  organization  of  the  Missionary 
Board,  by  which  each  annual  conference  is  permitted  to 
choose  a  member  in  addition  to  those  elected  by  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  such  members  possessing  equal  privileges 
in  the  board  w^ith  those  elected  by  the  higher  body. 

A  most  excellent  monthly  periodical,  the  Search  Light,  is 
published  by  the  Missionary  Society,  edited  by  its  executive 
officers,  Drs.  Bell  and  McKee. 

VI.      SUMMARY. 

Eleven  conferences  are  at  the  present  time  classed  as 
mission  conferences,  and  receive  aid  from  the  board.  Aid 
is  also  given  directly  to  individual  mission  churches  in 
cities  in  twenty-three  other  conferences.  To  this  are  to 
be  added  two  conferences  in  the  foreign  field,  in  Africa 
and  Germany,  and  the  work  in  Japan. 

The  total  amount  of  money  collected  and  expended  by  the 
Missionary  Board  since  its  organization,  in  1853,  according 
to  the  latest  figures  available  at  this  writing,  is  $3,636,319.19. 
Of  this  amount  there  has  been  expended  for  the  mission  in 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY  451 

Africa,  $281,181.04  ;  in  Germany,  $64,181.14  ;  in  Japan, 
$4,530.80.  In  addition,  the  board  has  received  as  sacred  or 
permanent  fund  $92,048.36.  In  the  same  period  there  have 
been  collected  for  the  home  and  frontier  fields,  and  ex- 
pended by  the  annual  conferences  within  their  own  confer- 
ence districts,  sums  estimated  to  reach  an  aggregate  of 
$1,363,680.81,  making  the  grand  total  of  moneys  collected 
for  the  missionary  work  since  1853  $5,000,000.  This 
does  not  include  the  further  amounts  raised  through  the 
agency  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association. 

VII.       GENERAL    OFFICERS    OF    THE    SOCIETY. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Rev.  J.  C.  Bright  was  prac- 
tically the  founder  of  the  Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
also  its  first  corresponding  secretary.  After  four  years  of 
most  devoted  service  he  was  compelled,  on  account  of  fail- 
ing health,  to  relinquish  the  work  he  so  greatly  loved. 
He  lived  until  1866,  never  regaining  his  former  strength, 
when  he  was  called  to  his  eternal  reward. 

In  1857  the  General  Conference  elected  as  his  successor 
Rev.  Daniel  K.  Flickinger,  who  had  returned  a  few 
months  before  from  his  second  missionary  trip  to  Africa. 
This  election  changed  the  course  of  Mr.  Flickinger's  life, 
while  it  did  not  remove  him  from  connection  with  the 
missionary  work.  The  reader  has  already  seen  a  more 
extended  account  of  him. 

The  General  Conference  of  1885  elected  the  Rev.  Z. 
Warner,  of  the  Parkersburg  Conference,  to  the  ofhce  of 
missionary  secretary.  Dr.  AVarner  had  been  an  active 
and  successful  itinerant  all  his  life.  He  was  an  able 
preacher,  an  accomplished  lecturer,  and  a  facile  writer,  but 
found  it  difficult  to  adapt  himself  to  the  details  and 
drudgery  of  office  hfe.     In  September,  1887,  he  resigned 


452  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

his  office,  and  a  few  weeks  later  accepted  the  pastoral 
care  of  a  church  in  Gibbon,  Nebraska,  performing  also 
duty  as  a  teacher  in  the  United  Brethren  academy  located 
there.  His  labor  here  was  destined  to  be  brief.  In  Jan- 
uary following  he  was  stricken  down  with  pneumonia,  and 
in  a  few  days  after  his  generous  spirit  passed  into  the 
presence  of  his  Master.  His  departure  brought  profound 
sorrow  to  the  hearts  of  thousands  who  had  admired  and 
loved  him. 

On  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Warner,  Rev.  William  McKee, 
the  treasurer  of  the  society  since  1885  and  for  the  term 
from  1869  to  1873,  was  chosen  by  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Missionary  Board  as  acting  corresponding  secretary 
until  the  next  assembling  of  the  General  Conference.  One 
year  later,  in  September,  1888,  Rev.  B.  F.  Booth,  of  the 
East  Ohio  Conference,  was  elected  by  the  executive  com- 
mittee to  be  assistant  corresponding  secretary.  In  May, 
1889,  the  General  Conference  elected  Dr.  Booth  to  the 
office  of  corresponding  secretary.  He  performed  the  duties 
of  the  office  with  devout  zeal  and  distinguished  ability 
until  March  9,  1893,  when  the  Lord  whom  he  served 
called  him  to  his  eternal  reward.  Dr.  Booth  was  born 
in  Holmes  County,  Ohio,  on  July  4,  1839.  He  was  con- 
verted in  1858,  became  a  member  of  the  Muskingum 
(East  Ohio)  Conference  in  1864,  and  was  ordained  by 
Bishop  Edwards  in  1866.  He  served  efficiently  as  pastor 
and  presiding  elder  until  1888,  when  he  was  called  to 
the  service  of  the  Missionary  Board.  He  was  connected 
with  various  church  boards,  and  enjoyed  in  high  degree 
the  confidence  and  regard  of  his  brethren. 

The  General  Conference  of  1893  elected  as  corresponding 
secretary  the  present  able  and  energetic  incumbent,  Rev. 
WilHam  M.  Bell.  Dr.  Bell  was  born  in  Whitley  County, 
Indiana,  on  November  12,  1860.     He  was  licensed   as  a 


THE  GENERAL  MISSIONABY  SOCIETY  453 

minister  and  became  a  member  of  the  St.  Joseph  Confer- 
ence in  1879,  and  was  ordained  in  1882.  He  became  an 
active  and  successful  pastor,  gave  attention  to  the  Sunday- 
school  work,  especially  to  the  normal  training  of  teachers, 
and  was  for  four  years  president  of  the  Indiana  State 
Sunday-School  Association.  Dr.  Bell's  work  is  charac- 
terized by  well-directed  zeal  and  rapidity  of  execution, 
and  he  is  an  earnest  and  inspiring  preacher.  The  General 
Conference  selected  wisely  when  he  was  chosen  to  this 
important  office. 

Rev.  William  McKee,  the  treasurer  of  the  society,  was 
first  elected  to  this  office  in  1869,  remaining  in  its  service 
until  1873.  He  was  again  elected  in  1885,  and  has  con- 
tinued to  the  present.  Dr.  McKee  w^as  born  in  Fairfield 
County,  Ohio,  on  February  20,  1831.  He  was  converted 
in  1852,  became  a  member  of  the  Auglaize  Conference  in 
1856,  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  1858.  Since 
1868  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Miami  Conference. 
He  served  successfully  as  pastor  until  called  into  the 
general  service.  In  the  office  of  missionary  treasurer  his 
work  is  characterized  by  carefulness  and  accuracy,  and 
his  long  service  as  treasurer,  amounting  now  to  sixteen 
years,  has  proved  in  an  eminent  degree  satisfactory  to 
the  Church.  As  a  preacher  he  is  clear,  concise,  and  able, 
and  always  heard  with  profit. 

The  treasurers  of  the  Missionary  Society  have  been 
Revs.  John  Kemp,  William  McKee,  J.  W.  Hott,  and 
J.  K.  Billheimer. 

The  headquarters  of  this  society,  as  of  all  the  general 
departments  of  the  Church,  are  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE    CHURCH-ERECTION    SOCIETY 

I.       ORGANIZATION. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Home,  Frontier,  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  by  the  General  Conference  of 
1853  four  quadrenniums  were  to  elapse  before  another 
most  important  movement  was  projected — that  of  the  crea- 
tion of  the  Church-Erection  Society.  By  the  agencies  of 
the  Missionary  Society  very  considerable  sums  of  money 
were  gathered,  and  missionaries  were  sent  to  the  frontier 
and  home  fields  to  gather  whom  they  could  into  the  fold 
of  the  Church.  Hundreds  and  even  thousands  who  thus 
heard  the  word  and  were  converted  were  gathered  into  local 
organizations,  only  to  be  lost  again  to  the  Church  because 
they  were  unable  without  aid  from  elsewhere  to  build  for 
themselves  houses  of  worship.  In  many  instances,  espe- 
cially in  the  mission  conferences  of  the  frontiers,  these 
homeless  societies  after  some  years  entirely  disappeared. 
Too  weak  in  numbers  and  resources  to  build  for  themselves 
houses  of  worship  and  attract  others  to  their  fold,  the 
disintegrating  process  set  in.  Their  membership  dimin- 
ished, either  by  removals  or  by  members  seeking  relation- 
ship in  other  more  favored  denominations,  and  thus  the 
work  which  had  begun  with  apparently  so  bright  promise 
was  in  time  largely  dissipated.  Many  of  the  ministers  and 
people  lamented  this  condition  of  things,  but  were  power- 
less to  provide  a  remedy  in  the  absence  of  any  organized 
method  of  furnishing  the  needed  aid.     Appeals  by  private 

454 


THE  CHURCH-ERECTION  SOCIETY  455 

letters  or  through  the  columns  of  the  Religious  Telescope 
usually  resulted  in  but  little  fruit,  and  personal  visits  by 
ministers  to  the  older  conferences  for  the  purpose  of  solic- 
iting were  expensive  and  unsatisfactory. 

In  the  General  Conference  of  May,  1869,  at  Lebanon, 
Pennsylvania,  a  proposition  was  made  looking  to  the 
organization  of  a  society  whose  work  should  lie  along- 
side that  of  the  Missionary  Society,  its  office  being  to 
assist  in  the  building  of  houses  of  worship  for  those 
who,  through  the  labors  of  the  missionaries,  were  brought 
into  the  Church.  The  proposition  received  the  favorable 
attention  of  the  conference,  and  was  referred  to  a  committee 
consisting  of  Revs.  L.  S.  Chittenden,  M.  Bulger,  J.  M.  Bishop, 
I.  K.  Statton,  and  M.  Ambrose.  The  committee  formulated 
a  plan  for  the  organization  of  a  society,  and  submitted  a 
report  to  the  conference.  The  report,  upon  further  dis- 
cussion, w^as  adopted.  The  organization  was  to  be  called 
the  Church-Erection  Society  of  the  United  Brethren  in 
Christ.  It  was  not  deemed  advisable  at  this  time  to  elect 
a  separate  board  of  management,  and  the  interests  of  the 
new  organization  were  committed  to  the  Missionary  Board 
and  its  corresponding  secretary  and  treasurer  to  be  cared 
for  and  brought  into  active  life. 

II.       PROGRESS    AND    W^ORK. 

With  no  separate  agency  to  push  this  new  work,  and 
the  officers  and  board  of  the  Missionary  Society  having 
quite  enough  to  do  and  never  quite  enough  money  for 
the  work  for  which  they  were  chiefly  responsible,  the 
collection  of  funds  for  the  Church-Erection  Society  did 
not  reach  any  considerable  proportions.  Nevertheless,  in 
the  first  quadrennium  the  sum  of  $1,215.30  was  placed 
to  its  credit,  and  four  loans  aggregating  $1,000  were 
made  to  as  many  new  church-building  enterprises.     And 


456  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

SO  the  society  had  a  beginning,  and  something  more  than  a 
name  to  Hve.  At  the  General  Conference  succeeding,  that  of 
May,  1873,  held  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  a  constitution  was  adopted 
for  its  government,  and  the  collections  during  the  four  years 
following  amounted  to  $8,401.23,  and  twenty  new  church- 
houses  were  erected  with  aid  from  its  treasury. 

In  the  General  Conference  of  1881  the  question  of 
securing  greater  efficiency  to  the  work  of  the  society  was 
again  considered,  and  action  was  taken  which  provided 
for  assessments  to  be  made  by  the  annual  conferences  upon 
all  their  various  charges.  The  object  of  this  was  not  only 
to  secure  larger  collections  for  the  treasury,  but  also  to 
inspire  a  more  general  interest  throughout  the  denomina- 
tion. The  General  Conference  of  1885,  held  at  Fostoria, 
Ohio,  took  another  forward  step,  in  creating  a  separate 
board  of  management  who  should  have  charge  of  this 
special  interest.  The  board  was  to  consist  of  five  persons, 
who  were  to  serve  for  terms  of  four  years,  and  the  pre- 
siding bishops  of  the  Church  and  the  corresponding 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  society  were  to  be  ex  officio 
members.  But  no  special  secretary  and  treasurer  were 
as  yet  elected,  the  duties  of  these  offices  being  still  com- 
mitted to  the  general  officers  of  the  Missionary  Society. 

With  the  growing  cares  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Missionary  Society,  it  was  becoming  apparent  that, 
if  the  work  of  the  Church-Erection  Society  should  have 
proper  attention,  at  least  one  general  officer  who  should 
devote  all  his  time  to  its  interests  must  be  provided. 
Accordingly,  the  General  Conference  of  1889,  at  York, 
Pennsylvania,  elected  Rev.  J.  Hill,  of  the  Erie  Con- 
ference, to  the  office  of  corresponding  secretary.  Mr. 
Hill  entered  upon  his  duties  with  an  earnest  purpose  to 
succeed.  But  the  Church,  under  the  former  method  of 
procedure,  had    in   large  degree  come  to   look   upon    the 


THE  CHURCH-ERECTION  SOCIETY  457 

church-erection  movement  as  not  possessing  very  great 
importance.  It  was  now  twenty  years  since  the  society 
had  been  organized,  and  no  efficient  means  had  as  yet 
been  provided  to  bring  its  work  and  its  needs  to  the 
attention  of  the  people.  The  Missionary  Society  was  in 
the  field,  its  work  was  ably  represented  by  men  who 
were  especially  set  to  do  that  work,  the  people  had  been 
educated  to  respond  nobly  to  its  calls,  and  generous  sums 
came  annually  into  its  treasury.  It  was  fairly  before  the 
people,  and  its  work  prospered  accordingly.  For  the 
Church-Erection  Society  little  was  asked,  and  little  was 
obtained.  But  the  form  of  education  which  the  people 
had  received  in  regard  to  its  w^ork  was  the  most  harm- 
ful feature  of  the  situation.  Mr.  Hill,  in  consequence, 
obtained  so  inconsiderable  encouragement  in  the  way  of 
contributions  to  the  treasury  of  the  society  that  he  believed 
he  was  not  justified  in  accepting  the  salary  which  the 
General  Conference  had  provided,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
year  pressed  his  resignation  of  his  office.  The  board, 
believing  it  inexpedient  to  fill  the  vacancy,  recommitted 
the  work  to  the  officers  of  the  Missionary  Society. 

The  General  Conference  of  1893,  held  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
again  elected  a  general  secretary,  the  choice  this  time 
falling  upon  Rev.  C.  I.  B.  Brane,  of  the  Maryland  Con- 
ference. Mr.  Brane  brought  his  fine  abilities  to  the  work 
of  soliciting,  but  did  not  meet  with  the  success  he  had 
hoped  to  gain,  the  same  inertia  as  regarded  giving  largely 
for  this  interest  being  almost  everywhere  encountered.  He 
accordingly,  at  the  end  of  a  year's  service,  followed  the 
example  of  Mr.  Hill,  not  wishing  to  accept  a  salary  for 
work  which  he  felt  was  not  yielding  sufficient  results. 
The  board  of  management,  however,  felt  that  they  ought 
to  continue  the  experiment,  and,  if  possible,  bring  this 
important  interest  thoroughly  to  the  attention  of  the  peo- 


458  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

pie,  in  the  hope  also  that  larger  contributions  might  yet  be 
secured.  They  accordingly,  at  their  annual  session  of  May, 
1895,  elected  to  the  vacancy  Eev.  William  M.  Weekley, 
of  the  Rock  River  Conference.  Mr.  Weekley  entered  upon 
his  work  in  October  following.  He  is  an  able  and  earnest 
advocate  of  his  cause,  and,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties 
he  has  had  to  meet,  has  attained  encouraging  success. 

At  first  sight  this  history  of  the  work  of  the  society 
might  suggest  the  thought  of  failure.  But  nothing  could 
be  more  untrue  than  this.  With  all  the  discouragements 
under  which  the  society  has  proceeded,  it  has  gathered  into 
its  treasury  a  sum  now  amounting  to  forty-two  thousand 
dollars.  Most  of  this  money  has  been  loaned  again  and 
again,  until  the  aggregate  of  loans  made  has  reached  the 
considerable  sum  of  ninety  thousand  dollars.  In  all  up 
to  the  present  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  churches  have 
been  aided.  And  all  this  has  been  accomplished  with 
almost  no  expense  to  the  Church. 

The  Church-Erection  Society,  by  the  terms  of  its  con- 
stitution, does  not  give  money  as  direct  donations  for 
church-building  purposes,  but  makes  loans,  without  in- 
terest, in  sums  of  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  dol- 
lars, for  periods  varying  from  one  to  five  years.  In  very 
special  instances,  as  in  important  and  more  expensive 
missions  in  cities,  the  sums  may  be  increased  to  one 
thousand  dollars,  and  the  time  may  be  extended  to  longer 
periods,  at  the  option  of  the  board  of  management. 

The  work  of  this  society  is  one  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance to  the  future  growth  of  the  Church,  and  it  is  to  be 
earnestly  hoped  that  the  popular  conception  of  this  fact 
will  be  in  time  so  far  advanced  that  contributions  to  its 
treasury  may  fairly  correspond  to  those  which  are  gathered 
for  the  uses  of  the  Missionary  Society. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION  i 

I.       ORGANIZATION. 

It  may  be  assumed  that  the  body  of  learned  gentlemen 
who  gave  us  the  recent  revision  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
were  chosen  with  reference  to  a  safe  conservatism,  as  well 
as  for  their  eminent  philological  skill.  We  may  note 
therefore  an  interesting  significance  in  the  fact  that  the 
familiar  passage  in  Psalms,  "  The  Lord  gave  the  word ; 
great  was  the  company  of  those  that  published  it,"  was 
rendered  by  these  scholars,  "  The  Lord  giveth  the  word  : 
the  women  that  publish  the  tidings  are  a  great  host."^ 
No  one  will  suspect  that  these  learned  divines  leaned 
unduly  toward  bringing  women  into  the  foreground  as 
the  evangels  of  a  new  evolution  in  the  work  of  spreading 
the  gospel.  We  are  rather  to  see  in  this  ancient  scripture 
a  prophecy  whose  true  meaning  lay  through  the  ages 
undiscovered,  but  which  now  is  realizing  a  magnificent 
fulfillment.  Even  the  plain  wording  of  the  passage  was 
not  understood  by  the  older  scholars,  much  less  its  spirit 
apprehended.  In  this  new  translation  we  have  a  beauti- 
ful expression  of  the  literal  sense,  as  well  as  of  the  fact 
which  it  so  strikingly  sets  forth.  The  present  time  is  in 
a  most  emphatic  degree  the  era  of  woman's  work,  and  in 
no  department  of  thought  or  work  has  there  been  a  greater 
earnestness  or  activity  than  in  the  religious  field.     In  the 

1  The  materials  for  this  sketch  are  derived  chiefly  from  a  pamphlet,  "  His- 
tory of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ," 
prepared  by  the  publishing  committee  of  the  association.  =Ps.  68: 11. 

459 


460  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Sunday  school,  in  the  work  of  missions,  in  those  reforms 
into  which  rehgion  and  morahty  enter  as  a  chief  element, 
the  women  of  the  present  are  at  the  front  as  a  great  host 
of  interested  and  successful  workers.  The  divine  writer 
with  the  eye  of  prophecy  looks  down  through  the  ages. 
He  sees  the  Lord  Jehovah  giving  out  messages,  and  the 
hosts  of  the  women,  a  great  and  obedient  army,  quickly 
taking  up  the  words  and  publishing  them  abroad. 

Twenty-one  and  a  half  years  ago  the  Woman's  Mis- 
sionary Association  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  was 
organized.  But  such  movements  never  take  form  until 
somebody  has  been  troubled  in  spirit,  until  some  one  has 
wrestled  in  prayer  and  has  received  a  special  divine 
baptism.  When  God  is  pleased  to  speak,  somebody's 
heart  must  first  be  prepared  to  receive  the  word.  In 
this  instance  the  burden  was  laid  upon  the  heart  of  an 
unassuming  young  woman.  Miss  Elizabeth  Hoffman, 
residing  a  few  miles  from  the  city  of  Dayton.  She  com- 
municated her  thought  to  Rev.  John  Kemp,  who  was 
for  so  many  years  treasurer  of  the  parent  Missionary 
Board.  Mr.  Kemp  sympathized  with  her  wishes,  and 
began  talking  about'  the  subject  to  some  of  the  people 
of  the  Summit  Street  and  First  United  Brethren  churches 
of  the  city.  A  meeting  was  soon  after  called  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  a  woman's  missionary  society  for 
the  Miami  Conference.  This  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Summit  Street  Church,  on  May  9,  1872,  anticipating  by 
three  and  a  half  years  the  forming  of  the  larger  or  gen- 
eral association.  A  day  and  an  evening  were  spent  in 
consultation,  and  as  a  result  an  organization  was  effected 
and  a  constitution  adopted. 

The  next  step,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
constitution,  was  to  organize  auxiliary  societies  on  the 
various   charges   of  the   conference.     A    number   of   local 


THE  W03fAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION        461 

organizations  were  formed,  and  collections  of  funds  began 
to  be  made.  Three  years  afterward  a  call  was  issued  to 
the  women  of  the  Church  generally  for  the  assembling 
of  a  woman's  missionary  convention.  As  it  was  proposed 
that  the  assembly  should  be  of  the  nature  of  a  mass  con- 
vention, and  not  a  convention  of  delegates,  any  who  were 
so  disposed  could  attend  it  without  first  receiving  authority 
as  delegates.  The  conference  was  held  on  October  21  and 
22,  1875,  in  the  First  United  Brethren  Church,  at  Dayton. 
Nine  conferences  were  represented,  namely,  Miami,  Scioto, 
Sandusky,  Michigan,  Indiana,  AVestern  Reserve,  Lower 
Wabash,  Virginia,  and  Allegheny.  In  several  other  con- 
ferences delegates  were  appointed,  from  whom  letters  of 
encouragement  were  received.  A  proposed  constitution, 
which  had  been  previously  published,  was  considered  and, 
with  some  amendments,  adopted.  The  name  of  the 
organization  as  agreed  upon  and  placed  in  the  constitution 
is  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ.  The  following  officers  and  board  of 
management  were  then  elected :  President,  Mrs.  T.  N. 
Sowers ;  vice-presidents,  Mrs.  Z.  A.  Colestock,  i^lrs.  M.  H. 
Bridgeman,  Mrs.  S.  Haywood  ;  corresponding  secretary,  Mrs. 
L.  R.  Keister ;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  D.  L.  Rike  ;  treas- 
urer, Mrs.  W.  J.  Shuey.  The  Miami  Conference  society 
then  reorganized,  and  paid  the  moneys  which  had  been 
collected  into  the  treasury  of  the  new  and  larger  associa- 
tion. It  was  agreed  that  the  annual  meetings  should  be 
held  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  the  month  of  May, 
1876,  was  designated  as  the  time  for  the  first  anniversary, 
the  meeting  to  be  held  in  Dayton. 

The  general  plan  of  organization  includes  a  board  of 
managers,  a  board  of  trustees,  annual-conference  branch 
societies,  local  societies,  young  ladies'  bands,  and  chil- 
dren's  bands.      The   board   of    manao-ers   consists   of    the 


462  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

trustees,  as  provided  by  the  constitution,  three  delegates 
elected  annually  by  each  conference  branch,  life  patrons, 
and  life  directors.  The  board  of  trustees  is  elected  by 
the  board  of  managers,  and  the  officers  are  chosen  from 
the  trustees.  By  the  provisions  of  the  constitution  the 
association,  while  it  elects  its  own  board  of  managers  and 
executive  officers,  is  under  the  direction  of  the  General 
Conference,  and  submits  quadrennial  reports  to  that  body. 
Thus  organized  and  equipped,  the  association  was  now 
ready  for  larger  work.  No  particular  field  or  plan  of 
work  was,  however,  determined  upon  at  this  initial  meet- 
ing, the  choice  of  a  mission  field  being  left  to  be  settled 
upon  further  consideration,  and  when  a  nucleus  of  funds 
should  be  secured  to  support  an  actual  work. 

II.       THE    MISSION    IN    AFRICA. 

The  first  anniversary,  held  as  had  been  agreed,  proved 
to  be  a  meeting  of  great  importance  as  determining,  in 
great  degree,  the  future  pohcy  and  operations  of  the  asso- 
ciation. Mrs.  J.  K.  Billheimer,  who  had  then  returned 
from  West  Africa,  was  present  at  this  meeting,  and  made 
a  strong  plea  for  the  w^omen  and  children  of  that  benighted 
land.  Upon  full  consideration  it  was  agreed  to  use  the 
funds  which  had  been  gathered  to  support  a  school  in 
Africa.  It  was  also  proposed  that  the  school  be  under 
the  control  of  the  missionaries  of  the  general  board,  at 
or  near  Shaingay.  The  officers  of  the  general  board 
counseled  against  this,  and  suggested  that  the  Woman's 
Association  organize  a  separate  and  independent  mission. 
This  suggestion  prevailed,  and  it  was  decided  to  open 
work  in  the  thickly  populated  region  up  the  Bompeh 
River,  about  sixty  miles  distant  from  Shaingay,  and 
about  fifty  miles  east  of  Freetown.  Mr.  Gomer,  then  the 
efficient  superintendent  of  the  missions  under  the  care  of 


THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION        463 

the  general  board,  rendered  valuable  assistance,  by  repeated 
visits,  in  locating  the  proposed  mission  at  Rotufunk,  in  the 
territory  which  had  been  determined  upon.  The  choice  of 
location  proved  a  most  excellent  one,  as  has  been  abun- 
dantly demonstrated  by  long  experience.  Miss  Emily 
Beeken,  who  was  first  under  appointment  by  the  general 
board,  was  transferred  to  the  service  of  the  woman's  board, 
and  arrived  at  Rotufunk  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  thus  the 
actual  work  of  the  Woman's  Association  in  the  foreign 
field  was  now  to  begin. 

Miss  Beeken  began  her  work  under  peculiar  difficulties. 
The  station  chosen  for  her  was  remote  from  any  other 
mission  or  place  inhabited  by  white  people.  All  the 
people  about  her  were  black,  and  all  were  heathen.  The 
pall  of  the  deepest  intellectual  and  spiritual  darkness  had 
rested  for  ages  upon  the  ancestry  of  these  people,  and  work 
among  them  must  begin  at  the  beginning.  But  while 
they  were  utterly  heathen,  they  were  not  savages.  Miss 
Beeken  was  received  with  the  utmost  kindness.  The  head- 
man, or  chief,  of  the  place  gave  her  welcome  and  protec- 
tion, and  erected  for  her  a  harra,  or  place  for  public 
worship.  On  an  elevated  place  near  the  town  was  erected, 
at  the  expense  of  the  association,  a  mud  house  for  a  home 
for  Miss  Beeken.  Thus  provided,  she  established  within 
a  short  time  two  schools,  and  in  addition  to  her  public 
religious  teaching  in  the  harra  she  visited  surrounding 
towns  to  hold  religious  services.  She  began  and  carried 
forward  a  large  work,  too  much  for  the  strength  of  one 
person  in  that  malarious  and  debilitating  climate,  and  it 
is  not  surprising  that  after  a  little  more  than  a  year  and 
a  half  of  toil  her  strength  gave  way,  and  she  was  obliged 
to  relinquish  her  work.  During  her  stay  a  fine  large  bell, 
the  gift  of  Mr.  John  Dodds,  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  was  sent  to 
the   station,  and   its  rich   tones,  the   first  ever   heard   by 


464  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  people,  called  them  to  the  harra  to  hear  the  gospel  of 
Jesus. 

Miss  Beeken  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  M.  M.  Mair,  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland,  a  lady  who  had  an  experience  of 
twenty-six  years  of  mission  work  on  the  west  coast 
of  Africa.  Thoroughly  acclimated  and  acquainted  with 
the  requirements  of  the  work,  she  was  able  at  once  to 
render  efficient  service.  She  reached  Rotufunk  in  Novem- 
ber, 1879.  The  board  of  managers  had  arranged  at  the 
meeting  in  May  of  the  previous  spring  to  build  a  home 
for  the  missionaries,  and  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars 
had  been  easily  secured  for  this  purpose.  The  materials 
were  sent  from  America,  and  Mrs.  Mair  superintended 
the  work  of  construction.  She  possessed  splendid  qual- 
ities for  missionary  service,  and  gained  almost  unlimited 
influence  with  the  people.  The  head-men  or  chiefs  of 
the  tribes  respected  every  wish  she  expressed.  She  estab- 
lished two  additional  schools,  and  secured  better  native 
helpers  for  the  work  of  instruction.  The  chief  of  Rotu- 
funk, Pa  Sourie,  compelled  his  people  to  keep  the  Sabbath, 
and  himself  gave  up  the  use  of  strong  drink  and  tobacco 
as  a  wholesome  example  for  them.  In  all  the  surround- 
ing towns  the  Sabbath  came  to  be  tlioroughly  regarded 
within  the  three  years  and  a  half  of  her  residence  in  the 
mission.  A  great  achievement  was  made  in  breaking  up 
the  slave-trade  in  that  section,  Rotufunk  itself  having 
been  a  traders'  station.  She  also  received  deeds  duly 
executed  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  at  Rotu- 
funk and  Palli  each,  a  portion  of  which  was  under 
cultivation. 

It  was  cause  for  sincere  sorrow  when  this  good  woman's 
strength  began  to  wane,  by  reason  of  incessant  labors,  as 
well  as  by  advancing  years,  and  a  final  rest  from  so  exact- 
ing toil  became  necessary.     But  the  Lord  was  preparing 


THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION         465 

other  laborers  for  the  field.  At  Union  Biblical  Seminary, 
in  Dayton,  Ohio,  there  were  two  young  students  whose 
hearts  God  touched — Rev.  R.  N.  West  and  Miss  Lida 
Miller.  Both  were  inspired  with  a  common  purpose,  that 
of  bearing  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  and,  uniting  their 
hands  and  hearts  in  marriage,  they  left  their  homes  and 
country,  under  appointment  of  the  woman's  board,  and 
arrived  at  Freetown  in  December  of  1882.  Mrs.  Mair 
remained  with  them  for  a  few  months  to  introduce  them 
to  their  work,  and  then  set  sail  for  America.  Her  pres- 
ence at  the  meeting  of  the  board  in  the  following  May, 
at  Westerville,  Ohio,  previous  to  returning  to  her  home 
in  Scotland,  was  the  inspiration  of  enlarged  confidence 
and  hope. 

To  this  meeting  came  a  letter  from  Mr.  West  saying 
that  the  attendance  at  the  services  at  the  barra  in  Rotu- 
funk  had  become  so  large  that  many  in  rainy  weather 
were  obliged  to  stand  without  in  the  beating  rains,  and 
asking  that  arrangements  be  made  for  the  erection  of 
a  chapel.  The  board  concurred,  the  money  was  soon 
secured,  and  the  chapel  built  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  hundred 
dollars.  Eleven  hundred  of  the  amount  was  pledged  be- 
fore the  board  adjourned.  The  building  was  sufficiently 
large  to  accommodate  three  hundred  persons,  and  was 
provided  with  a  primary  room  for  the  smaller  children 
in  the  Sunday  school.  Mr.  Gomer,  superintendent  of  the 
Shaingay  Mission,  whose  name  will  long  be  held  in  loving 
veneration,  dedicated  this  chapel  with  appropriate  services 
on  February  24,  1884.  After  the  sermon  the  people  were 
invited  to  make  a  free-will  off'ering,  and  among  the  con- 
tributions were  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  at 
Palli,  five  binkeys  of  rice  (between  fifty  and  one  hundred 
bushels),  one  cow,  one  country-cloth,  and  thirty-seven 
dollars  and   fourteen  cents  in   money.     There  was   much 

30 


466  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

rejoicing  among  the  people  and  the  missionaries  over  the 
completion  of  this  house. 

The  work  meanwhile  had  been  greatly  enlarging.  Fifty- 
four  regular  preaching  places  had  now  been  established,  a 
large  increase  within  the  year.  More  than  twenty-five 
hundred  people  now  statedly  heard  the  divine  message, 
fully  one  thousand  every  Sabbath  at  different  stations  con- 
nected with  the  mission. 

But  now  a  trial  of  the  utmost  severity,  coming  as  a 
twofold  calamity,  was  to  test  the  faith  and  endurance  of 
the  missionaries.  Two  weeks  after  the  dedication  of  the 
chapel  one  of  those  devastating  wars  which  are  of  so 
frequent  occurrence  in  Africa  broke  out  and  swept  with 
fury  over  the  region  where  Rotufunk  is  situated.  At  the 
same  time  came  also  the  added  scourge  of  smallpox, 
brought  there  by  a  ^lohammedan  priest.  Very  quickly 
the  people  were  scattered.  The  chapel  services  were  almost 
deserted.  In  nearly  all  the  towns  preaching  was  suspended. 
About  fifty  died  of  smallpox.  Mr.  West  was  prostrated  by 
the  dread  disease,  but  the  Lord  preserved  his  life.  But  in 
all  this  great  trial  the  gospel  seemed  to  acquire  a  stronger 
hold  upon  the  people  than  it  had  before. 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  board  of  trustees,  who  feared 
the  eff'ects  of  the  long-continued  strain  upon  the  strength 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  West,  they  returned  to  America  early 
in  1886,  leaving  the  work  under  the  care  of  their  native 
helpers,  with  the  promise  of  occasional  visits  of  Mr.  Gomer, 
of  the  Shaingay  Mission.  In  September  of  the  same 
year  they  returned  to  the  charge  which  they  had  come 
to  love  with  the  strongest  affection.  The  report  for  the 
year  1896,  a  little  over  ten  years  from  the  founding  of 
the  mission,  shows  the  work  to  have  been  in  a  most 
promising  condition. 

In  1887  decided  progress  was  made  in  strengthening  the 


THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION        467 

mission.  Two  additional  laborers,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  S.  Sage, 
were  sent  out,  both  graduates  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary, 
and  both  having  previous  experience  in  the  mission  at 
Shaingay,  thus  adding  much  to  the  efficiency  of  the  work. 
A  second  step  was  the  establishing  of  a  girls'  home.  The 
object  of  this  was  to  provide  a  legal  asylum  from  which 
parents  could  not  sell  their  little  girls  as  wives  to  any- 
body who  would  buy.  The  holding  of  women  and  girls 
as  chattels  was  according  to  the  law  of  the  country,  and 
nothing  could  be  done  to  protect  the  children  when  the 
fathers  wanted  to  sell  them.  A  home,  however,  provided 
a  legal  shelter,  and  such  a  home  was  built.  It  was  named 
"The  Mary  Sowers  Home  for  Girls,"  in  honor  of  Mrs. 
Sowers,  the  first  president  of  the  association.  Two  thou- 
sand dollars  were  expended  in  its  erection.  In  1889  a 
house  costing  a  similar  sum  was  erected  as  a  home  for 
boys.  It  is  a  good  frame  structure,  with  modern  con- 
veniences. 

In  November,  1889,  two  more  missionaries  joined  the 
company  on  the  field.  They  were  Miss  Frances  Williams 
and  Miss  Ellen  Groenendyke,  both  finely  fitted  for  the 
requirements  of  the  work.  In  1890  the  school  at  Bompeh 
was  placed  in  charge  of  Mrs.  Thompson,  a  daughter  of 
Bishop  Crowther,  of  the  Niger  Mission.  Mrs.  Thompson 
made  an  important  advance  in  insisting  that  the  parents 
must  clothe  their  children,  instead  of  looking  to  the  mis- 
sion for  this.  A  good  deal  of  murmuring  arose,  but  she 
was  resolute,  and  the  good  end  she  sought,  better  alike 
for  the  parents  and  the  mission,  was  accomplished. 

On  account  of  impaired  health,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sage,  late 
in  1890,  returned  to  America.  Their  places  were  soon 
filled  by  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Miller,  students  in  Union 
Biblical  Seminary,  who  reached  Rotufunk  on  December 
31,   1890.     The  need   of  a  medical   missionary  had   long 


468  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

been  felt,  and  for  this  service  the  board  appointed  Miss 
Marietta  Hatfield,  M.D.,  of  Potsdam,  Ohio,  in  1891.  Ac- 
companying Dr.  Hatfield  were  Miss  Elma  Bittle,  of 
Lewisburg,  Ohio,  and  Miss  Ella  Schenck,  of  Lockington, 
Ohio.  Both  were  accomplished  teachers,  as  well  as  most 
devout  Christians.  Miss  Bittle  entered  upon  her  work  with 
a  heart  of  devoted  love,  but  her  career  was  soon  to  close. 
She  was  overtaken  with  fatal  illness  in  1892,  and  her  sweet 
spirit  passed  out  in  great  triumph  into  the  presence  of  the 
Master  to  whom  she  gave  her  life.  Less  than  three  weeks 
before.  Miss  Frances  Williams  had  succumbed  to  the 
dreaded  African  fever,  also  giving  her  hfe  in  truest 
martyrdom  for  the  cause  she  loved.  And  thus,  so  near 
together,  these  two  were  taken  away  by  death,  the  first 
since  the  beginning  of  the  United  Brethren  work  in  Africa 
thirty-seven  years  before,  so  singularly  had  the  lives  of 
our  missionaries  hitherto  been  preserved.  To  these  names 
of  the  departed  has  since  been  added  that  of  the  Rev.  R. 
N.  West,  also  of  the  Bompeh  Mission,  who  died  September 
22,  1894,  and  whose  remains  rest  in  the  field  to  which  he 
gave  himself  as  a  willing  off'ering.  In  this  year  Bishop 
Kephart  made  an  episcopal  visit  to  the  missions  in  Africa, 
and  presided  at  the  annual  session  of  the  African  confer- 
ence, held  that  year  at  Rotufunk. 

The  missionaries  in  the  Bompeh  field  at  the  present 
writing  are  Rev.  L.  A.  McGrew,  Mrs.  Clara  McGrew,  Miss 
Mary  Archer,  ^I.D.,  Miss  Florence  Cronise,  and  Miss  Minnie 
Eaton.     Others  in  the  service  of  the  board  are  in  America 

for  rest. 

The  home  of  rest  for  missionaries  on  Mount  Leicester, 
near  Freetown,  in  the  construction  of  which  the  woman's 
board  is  cooperating  with  the  general  board,  has  been 
spoken  of  in  the  account  of  the  missions  of  the  latter 
board. 


THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION        469 
III.       A    MISSION    IN    GERMANY. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  woman's  board  of  May, 
1880,  held  at  Fostoria,  Ohio,  the  formation  of  a  second 
mission  was  decided  upon.  The  Rev.  C.  BischofF,  super- 
intendent of  the  mission  of  the  general  board  in  Ger- 
many, was  present,  and  spoke  with  pressing  earnestness 
of  the  need  of  true  evangelical  work  in  Germany.  Others 
acquainted  with  the  religious  condition  of  the  Fatherland 
supported  Mr.  BischofF's  address.  The  mission  in  Africa 
being  now  fairly  launched,  and  the  Church  responding 
generously  to  the  calls  of  the  women  for  funds  for  their 
work,  the  board,  after  full  deliberation,  decided  to  begin 
work  in  the  city  of  Coburg,  Germany,  a  place  of  fourteen 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  the  sum  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  was  appropriated  for  making  a  beginning. 
Kev.  G.  Noetzold  was  appointed  to  the  charge.  He  com- 
menced work  in  due  time,  and  in  March,  1881,  organized 
a  church.  Encouraging  success,  and  many  persecutions, 
attended  his  work.  The  hall  at  first  obtained  soon  proved 
too  small,  and  a  larger  place  was  hired.  The  late  Rev. 
William  Mittendorf,  so  long  editor  of  our  German  peri- 
odicals, visited  the  place  not  long  after,  and  was  greatly 
cheered  by  what  had  been  accomplished.  But  hardly 
anywhere  is  true  evangelical  work  more  difficult  or  more 
persistently  opposed  than  among  a  godless  people  pro- 
fessing Christianity,  all  of  them  duly  connected  with  the 
church,  but  knowing  nothing  of  religion  beyond  its  outer 
forms.  So  Otterbein  found  it  in  America  in  some  of  the 
places  where  he  preached,  and  so  the  missionaries  of  our 
Church  in  Germany  have  found  it. 

In  the  spring  of  1886  Rev.  H.  Barkemeyer  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  conference  in  Germany  to  the  Coburg 
Mission,  the  woman's  board  still  furnishing  money  for 
its  support.     Two  years  later  the  board   decided  to  raise 


470  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

a  fund  of  three  thousand  dollars  for  building  a  chapel 
for  the  Coburg  congregation,  and  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred dollars  were  secured  within  the  next  year  toward 
this  object.  Various  obstacles  having  arisen  to  prevent 
satisfactory  progress,  the  board,  at  its  meeting  of  1889, 
decided  to  give  back  the  Coburg  Mission  to  the  general 
board.  It  was  also  proposed  to  open  a  mission  in  Berlin, 
but  a  suitable  person  for  undertaking  the  work  not  being 
found,  it  was  decided  to  hold  the  funds  collected  to  be 
used  for  the  erection  of  a  chapel  in  Germany  at  such 
time  and  place  as  Providence  might  direct.  At  the  meet- 
ing of  1892,  the  way  being  still  not  open  for  commencing 
work  in  Berlin,  on  account  of  inability  to  secure  the 
services  of  a  suitable  missionary,  the  board  decided  to  offer 
the  funds  on  hand  to  the  parent  board  for  the  erection 
of  a  chapel  at  Weimar.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  the 
amount  of  $2,703.08  was  paid  over  to  the  treasurer  of 
the  general  board.  This  church  was  recently  completed 
and  dedicated.  It  is  a  substantial  and  attractive  struc- 
ture, and  will  serve  well  the  uses  of  the  congregation 
which  regularly  gathers  in  it.  The  more  spiritual  worship 
of  these  people  will  prove  a  blessing  to  their  less  spiritual 
neighbors  in  this  old  city.  The  woman's  board  does  not 
now  operate  any  mission  in  Germany. 

•  IV.       THE    CHINESE    MISSIONS. 

1.  The  Mission  in  Portland,  Oregon. 
The  spiritual  destitution  of  the  Chinese  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  early  enlisted  the  interest  of  the  woman's  board. 
This  interest  was  especially  quickened  by  the  letters  of 
Bishop  Castle  when  residing  in  Oregon.  At  the  annual 
meeting  of  1881,  held  at  Western,  Iowa,  the  first  steps 
were  taken  looking  toward  the  commencement  of  work 
among  these   people  from  the  Celestial   Empire,   and  the 


THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION         471 

bishop  was  requested  to  furnish  such  information  as  he 
could  respecting  a  favorable  location  for  opening  a  work. 

Bishop  Castle,  after  looking  over  the  ground  in  San 
Francisco  and  Portland,  Oregon,  reported  favorably  for  the 
latter  city.  Here  a  Christian  Chinaman,  Moy  Ling,  had 
for  six  years  conducted  an  evening  school  for  his  fellow- 
countrymen,  at  his  own  expense,  with  such  voluntary 
assistance  of  teachers  as  he  was  able  to  secure.  The  work 
was  becoming  too  large  for  him,  and  he  was  anxious  to 
have  some  church  take  it  and  carry  it  forward.  Here  was 
a  providential  opening,  a  school  already  organized  and 
under  good  management,  and  on  the  recommendation  of 
Bishop  Castle  the  board  entered  into  arrangements  to  take 
the  school.  In  November,  1882,  Mrs.  Ellen  Sickafoose, 
of  Buchanan,  Michigan,  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
the  mission,  Moy  Ling  continuing  at  its  head  until  her 
arrival  in  July,  1883. 

Mrs.  Sickafoose  entered  upon  her  work  with  twenty 
pupils.  This  number  increased  so  rapidly  that  at  the  end 
of  the  third  quarter  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
enrolled.  The  pupils  were  greatly  interested,  and  con- 
tributed during  this  time  over  four  hundred  dollars  toward 
the  expenses  of  the  school.  But  the  most  precious  fruit 
of  the  school  was  that  a  large  proportion  cast  away  their 
idolatrous  joss  worship,  and   espoused   the  Christian  faith. 

The  work  growing  thus  rapidly,  the  board,  for  the  second 
year,  appointed  Rev.  George  Sickafoose,  who  had  been 
under  engagement  with  the  parent  board  in  a  mission  in 
East  Portland,  to  assist  his  wife  in  the  Chinese  mission. 
Arrangements  were  also  made  soon  after  for  the  purchase 
of  a  building  for  the  school,  and  for  religious  services.  A 
well-located  house  was  bought  for  eight  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  mission  had  now  a  home,  with  a  residence  for 
the  missionaries  on  the  same  lot. 


472  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Many  of  those  who  have  attended  this  school  have 
returned  to  their  old  homes  in  China,  and  those  who 
became  Christians,  it  may  be  believed,  have  done  some- 
thing in  bearing  the  seed  of  gospel  truth  to  their  own 
people  in  their  native  land.  The  Chinese  are  firm  in 
their  religious  convictions,  and  few  could  be  induced  to 
abandon  the  Christian  religion  even  under  stress  of  bitter 
persecution.  Moy  Ling,  who  possesses  such  sterling  per- 
sonal qualities,  as  shown  by  his  work  in  establishing  and 
conducting  the  school  for  about  seven  years,  still  remains 
connected  with  the  mission.  The  school  sessions  are  held 
regularly  every  week-day  evening,  except  Saturday.  In 
July,  1891,  Mr.  Sickafoose  resigned  his  connection  with 
the  school  to  reenter  the  active  ministry.  Mrs.  Sicka- 
foose continued  in  the  mission  for  something  over  two 
years  longer,  when  failing  health  necessitated  her  resig- 
nation, after  giving  it  faithful  and  successful  service  for 
a  period  of  ten  years.  In  1893  Mrs.  i\Iary  E.  Henkle,  of 
Philomath,  Oregon,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy,  with 
Moy  Ling  continuing  as  interpreter  and  assistant. 

2.     The  Mission  in   China. 

In  1888  the  board  decided,  upon  the  earnest  recom- 
mendation of  Mrs.  Sickafoose,  and  after  mature  considera- 
tion, to  open  a  mission  work  in  China,  and  in  1889  ^Ir. 
Sickafoose  and  Moy  Ling,  who  had  received  regular 
authority  as  a  minister,  were  deputed  to  visit  China  and 
locate  a  mission.  Miss  Australia  Patterson,  a  graduate  of 
Western  College,  and  Miss  Lillie  R.  Shaffner,  a  student  in 
Lebanon  Valley  College,  both  possessing  fine  accomplish- 
ments, were  appointed  for  work  in  the  mission  when  it 
should  be  located.  The  company  reached  Hong  Kong  on 
October  31,  1889,  and  after  careful  investigation  decided 
to  locate  the  mission  in  Canton,  the  metropolis  of  southern 


THE  WOMAN' >S'  MI&'SIONAB  Y  A&'&'O  CIA TION         473 

China.  This  part  of  the  work  being  accomplished,  Mr. 
Sickafoose  returned  to  Portland,  Moy  Ling  remaining 
with  the  other  missionaries  for  over  a  year.  Miss 
Shaffner  at  the  end  of  a  year  returned  to  America  on 
account  of  failing  health.  A  few  months  later  Moy  Ling 
returned,  and  Miss  Patterson  was  now  alone.  With  a 
heart  full  of  true  courage,  and  trusting  in  the  Master 
whom  she  sought  to  honor,  she  addressed  herself  earnestly 
to  her  work.  Her  first  important  business  was  to  learn 
the  Chinese  language,  always  a  difficult  undertaking. 
Meanwhile,  she  superintended  a  Sunday  school  for  the 
children  of  English  and  American  residents  in  the  city. 
After  acquiring  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  language  she 
began  the  work  of  house-to-house  visitation,  with  the 
assistance  of  a  Bible-woman  as  interpreter.  In  the  fall 
of  1891  Miss  S.  Lovina  Halverson,  M.D.,  a  former  stu- 
dent in  Western  College,  Iowa,  was  appointed  as  medical 
missionary,  and  arrived  in  Canton  soon  after.  In  1892 
Miss  Regina  Bigler,  M.D.,  was  appointed  for  the  same 
work.  She  reached  Canton  in  December  of  that  year. 
A  medical  dispensary  was  established  for  the  purpose  of 
prescribing  for  the  sick.  These  dispensaries  afford  very 
special  opportunities  for  religious  work,  since  with  the 
medical  prescriptions  the  word  of  life  is  also  dispensed  to 
the  women  who  come  for  treatment.  It  is  a  return  to  the 
method  of  the  Great  Teacher,  who  gave  healing  alike  to 
the  bodies  and  the  souls  of  men.  Large  numbers  of 
women  visit  the  dispensaries,  and  many  of  them  gladly 
hear  the  word  of  life. 

In  the  spring  of  1893  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Fix, 
graduates  of  Western  College  and  Union  Biblical  Sem- 
inary, were  appointed  by  the  board  to  the  mission  in 
Canton.  They  reached  that  city  in  November  of  that 
year.     They   were    making    encouraging    progress,   when, 


474  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

unfortunately,  on  account  of  the  failing  health  of  Mrs. 
Fix,  in  1895,  it  was  thought  best  that  they  should  return 
to  America. 

In  June,  1894,  Drs.  Halverson  and  Bigler  had  the 
rough  experience  of  being  mobbed  in  the  streets  of  Can- 
ton, Miss  Halverson  very  nearly  losing  her  life.  She  had 
given  assistance  to  a  sick  Chinaman,  and  started  with  him 
to  send  him  to  a  hospital.  Proceeding  a  short  distance,  a 
frenzied  mob  attacked  her,  with  threats  to  kill  her.  She 
was  pursued,  struck  down,  dragged  through  the  streets, 
and  stoned,  when  a  custom-house  officer,  seeing  the  tumult, 
came  to  her  rescue.  Miss  Bigler,  learning  what  had 
occurred,  started  to  bring  her  home,  when  she  was 
assailed  by  the  same  mob,  but,  fortunately,  was  not 
struck  by  the  stones  that  were  thrown.  A  body  of 
soldiers  rescued  her,  and  the  two  ladies  were  afterward 
sent  home  under  an  escort.  Miss  Halverson's  experience 
was  much  like  that  of  Paul  at  Lystra,  and,  happily,  did 
not  result  as  her  assailants  intended.  The  attack  was  a 
part  of  the  general  outbreak  against  foreigners  about  that 
time.  The  intense  hatred  was  due  to  the  prevalence  of 
the  plague,  for  which  many  of  the  superstitious  Chinese 
thought  the  foreigners  w^ere  in  some  way  responsible. 
This  malady,  then  so  fatal  in  many  of  the  Chinese  cities, 
was  the  bubonic  plague,  which  prevails  now  with  so  great 
fatality  in  India. 

V.      THE    woman's    evangel. 

The  publication  of  this  journal,  in  sixteen-page  form, 
monthly,  was  begun  in  January,  1882,  with  Mrs.  L.  R. 
Keister,  corresponding  secretary,  as  editor.  The  paper  was 
well  edited  from  the  start,  and  was  destined  to  be  popular. 
In  1893,  on  Mrs.  Keister's  resignation,  the  editorial  work 
was  transferred  to  the  cultured  pen  of  Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller. 


THE  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION         475 

It  has  proved  very  helpful  in  the  work,  has  attained  a 
circulation  of  five  thousand  copies,  and  from  the  beginning 
has  paid  all  expenses  of  publication. 

VI.       EXECUTIVE    OFFICERS. 

The  Woman's  Association  has  been  fortunate  in  the 
selection  of  its  executive  officers.  The  first  president  was 
Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Sowers,  a  lady  widely  known  for  her 
efficiency  and  Christian  zeal.  She  was  chosen  in  1875. 
She  resigned  in  1879,  on  account  of  failing  health,  and 
died  November  17,  1880.  In  May,  1879,  Mrs.  Sylvia 
Haywood,  of  Westerville,  Ohio,  a  lady  of  most  estimable 
personal  qualities,  was  elected  president.  At  the  meeting 
in  May,  1887,  succeeding  Mrs.  Haywood's  death,  Mrs. 
L.  K.  Miller  was  chosen  to  this  office.  She  has  given  to 
its  service  ten  years  of  diligent  attention.  Mrs.  Keister, 
who  was  corresponding  secretary  from  the  beginning, 
resigned  in  1893,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  B.  F.  Witt, 
of  Indianapolis.  The  office  force  at  the  present  writing 
consists  of  Mrs.  Witt  as  general  secretary,  and  Mrs.  Miller 
as  president  and  editor  of  the  EvangeL 

VII.       SUMMARY. 

From  a  summarized  statement  in  the  corresponding 
secretary's  report  for  1896  it  is  seen  that  the  Chinese 
mission  in  Portland  is  progressing  hopefully.  In  addition 
to  this  there  is  an  American  mission  in  that  city  under  the 
care  of  the  board.  This  church,  and  the  Sunday  school 
and  young  people's  society  connected  with  it,  are  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  The  church  property,  valued  at  nine 
thousand  dollars,  added  to  that  of  the  school  originally 
purchased,  makes  a  total  of  property  in  Portland  valued  at 
seventeen  thousand  dollars.  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Fix 
have  recently  taken  charge  of  this  mission  church. 


476  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

In  Canton  there  are  three  American  missionaries,  two 
of  the  number  medical ;  one  native  pastor,  one  chapel- 
keeper,  several  Bible-women,  one  organized  church,  and 
six  day  schools.  The  medical  dispensar^^  open  one  or 
two  days  in  the  week,  has  within  a  year  supplied  treat- 
ment to  over  thirteen  thousand  patients,  ^lany  of  these 
are  in  the  city  away  from  the  dispensary,  and  at  smaller 
places  adjacent  to  Canton.  The  prescriptions  up  to  the 
present  time  are,  with  few  exceptions,  made  without  charge. 

In  the  Bompeh  Mission,  Africa,  there  w^ere,  in  May,  1896, 
American  missionaries,  seven  ;  in  America  for  rest,  four, 
making  eleven  under  appointment  of  the  board.  There 
were  122  preaching  places ;  organized  churches,  three, 
with  120  communicants.  In  addition  to  these  were  65 
inquirers'  or  seekers'  classes,  with  an  enrollment  of  1,286. 
Four  Sunday  schools  were  reported,  with  289  pupils  ;  eight 
day  schools,  with  254  pupils.  There  were  four  ordained 
and  eight  unordained  itinerants ;  three  chapels  and  six 
mission-houses.  The  mission-liouses  were  valued  at  $8,200, 
the  school-houses  at  $4,000,  the  chapels  at  $2,400,  indus- 
trial building  at  $800,  boat-house  and  other  buildings  at 
$1,000,  making  a  total  of  $16,400. 

The  total  amount  of  moneys  collected  and  expended 
by  the  Woman's  Missionary  Association  from  its  organiza- 
tion, in  1875,  to  May,  1896,  was  $215,766.44. 


CHAPTER  y 

COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES 
I.       INTRODUCTORY. 

We  have  seen  that  the  founder  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church,  Bishop  Otterbein,  was  a  man  of  thorough  scholastic 
and  theological  training.  We  have  also  seen  that  the 
greater  number  of  his  early  associates  in  evangelistic  work 
were  men  of  but  modest  educational  attainments,  chiefly 
such  as  could  be  reached  through  the  common  schools 
of  their  time,  or  were  gained  in  private  study  after  entering 
upon  their  ministerial  career.  But  what  they  lacked  in 
the  learning  of  the  schools  they  made  up  largely  by  the 
greater  zeal  and  industry  in  the  active  work  of  their 
calling.  Some  portion  of  their  limited  libraries  was 
usually  carried  in  the  saddle-bags,  and  it  was  not  an 
unusual  thing  to  see  them  riding  on  horseback  with  book 
in  hand  as  they  went  from  one  appointment  to  another 
on  their  extended  circuits.  Some  of  them  indeed  obtained 
in  this  manner  many  of  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion. Habits  of  close  and  sustained  thinking,  the  best 
result  of  mental  training,  if  not  the  details  of  a  broader 
learning,  were  thus  formed,  and  the  men  who  seemed  to 
the  more  cultured  to  be  without  education  often  exhibited 
great  power  in  dealing  with  pulpit  subjects.  They  ex- 
pressed their  thoughts  with  clearness  and  force,  frequently 
with  genuine  eloquence,  and  usually  carried  conviction  to 
the  minds  of  their  hearers. 

Notwithstanding   the    fact    that    many   of    these    early 

477 


478  THE  UNITED  BRETHBEN  IN  CHBIST 

preachers  thus  sought  for  themselves  a  better  equipment 
for  their  work,  and  also  that  their  great  leader  was  a  man 
of  broad  and  thorough  scholarship,  there  came  to  be 
fostered  among  them  to  a  considerable  extent  a  feeling 
of  actual  prejudice  against  a  collegiate  training  for  min- 
isters. This  feeling  seems  to  have  arisen  from  the  fact 
that  they  saw  many  of  the  educated  ministers  with  whom 
they  came  in  nearest  contact  to  be  men  seemingly  depend- 
ing more  upon  their  educational  attainments  in  their  work 
of  preaching  than  upon  a  living,  spiritual  connection  with 
the  divine.  The  sermons  of  these  men  were  looked  upon 
as  learned,  but  unspiritual,  as  indeed  were  frequently  the 
lives  of  the  ministers  themselves,  and  these  lay  preachers 
— for  such  were  many  of  them  at  the  first — felt  that  it 
was  better  to  rely  directly  upon  the  help  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  the  pulpit  than  upon  the  aid  derived  from  books. 
Their  work,  like  that  of  their  similarly  called  and  endowed 
fellow-workers  in  another  denomination, — the  followers  of 
Wesley  and  Asbury, — had  upon  it  the  manifest  seal  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  in  whose  inspiration  and  power  they 
trusted,  and  they  felt  that  a  college  education  would  in 
some  way  interfere  with  this  fuller  trust  in  the  divine 
Spirit  for  success.  The  prejudice  thus  fostered  was  carried 
down  to  a  comparatively  late  date,  and  when  some  of  the 
ministers  of  a  little  more  than  half  a  century  ago  began 
to  talk  of  establishing  a  college  for  the  Church  they  met 
with  the  most  earnest  opposition.  The  proposition,  if  it 
were  carried  into  effect,  it  was  believed  would  prove  a 
most  serious  blow  to  the  spirituality  and  future  success 
of  the  Church. 

Among  those  who  thus  opposed  were  some  of  the  ablest 
and  most  influential  ministers  of  the  Church.  There  are 
many  persons  living  who  remember  Bishop  John  Russel  as 
a  man  of  extraordinary  gifts,  whose  abilities  as  a  preacher 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  479 

and  counselor  led  his  brethren  to  exalt  him  to  the  office 
of  bishop.  Yet  this  great  and  good  man  deplored  ear- 
nestly the  movement  which  resulted  in  building  Otterbein 
University.  But  it  is  well  known  how  the  good  bishop 
lived  to  change  his  mind  on  this  subject,  that  he  afterward 
gave  strong  encouragement  to  the  building  of  a  college  for 
the  Church,  and  that  before  he  died  he  made  provision  for  a 
liberal  portion  of  his  estate  to  be  used  in  the  interest  of  the 
theological  training  of  ministers.  It  is  also  well  remem- 
bered that  Bishop  Edwards,  a  man  of  similarl}^  strong  intel- 
lectual endowments,  and  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  devout 
preachers  the  Church  has  ever  had,  for  a  long  time  re- 
garded with  apprehension  the  movement  toward  estab- 
lishing educational  institutions.  His  doubts,  however,  in 
time  gave  way,  and  he  became  a  true  friend  of  the  colleges, 
as  also  later  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  an  institution 
founded  to  promote  especially  what  these  fathers  of  the 
Church  most  feared — the  theological  training  of  its  min- 
isters. 

This  apprehension,  however,  cherished  by  these  and 
others  of  the  Church  fathers,  had  a  more  specific  reference 
to  the  college  training  of  ministers,  and  not  to  the  educa- 
tion of  the  people  in  general.  The  feeling  was  that  of 
opposition  to  naming  this  or  that  son  in  a  family  for  the 
ministry,  without  reference  to  a  distinct  divine  call,  and 
then  sending  him  to  college  and  bringing  liim  out  as  a 
full-fledged  preacher.  Thus  the  colleges  came  sometimes 
to  be  spoken  of  as  "preacher  factories."  The  people  of  the 
Church  believed  in  and  supported  the  common  schools,  just 
as  did  those  of  other  denominations,  and  some  of  their 
sons  and  daughters  were  sent  to  college,  but  they  feared  the 
effect  upon  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church  of  a  ministry 
educated  and  relying  for  success  upon  the  skill  thus 
attained,  instead  of  trusting  to  tlie  help  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 


480  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  feeling  of  the  people  of  the  earlier  periods  of  the 
Church  is  truly  expressed  by  Rev.  H.  G.  Spayth,  the  first 
historian  of  the  Church,  who  was  altogether  friendly  to 
higher  education,  and  yet  shared  with  others  the  fear  that 
the  earnest,  simple-hearted,  but  spiritually-minded  ministry 
of  those  days  might  be  displaced  by  an  educated  but 
unspiritual  ministry.  Writing  in  the  Religious  Telescope,^ 
Mr.  Spayth  said  :  ''  Now  mark  me,  literary,  scientific,  and 
religious  attainments  we,  as  a  church  and  people,  have 
always  respected,  admired,  and  honored.  .  .  .  Had  our 
fathers  and  brethren  believed  it  to  be  their  duty  to  build 
up  seminaries  of  learning,  it  could  have  been  done,  as 
well  as  other  things  ;  but  they  confessed  that  their  call 
was  emphatically  to  the  weightier  matter,  that  of  winning 
souls.  As  to  the  ministry,  they  sought  not  so  much  to 
fill  the  sacred  stand  with  men  of  polished  eloquence  as 
with  men  of  power,  of  love,  and  of  sound  minds — men 
called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron.  They  had  also  learned  these 
two  lessons  :  first,  that  learning  is  not  the  primary,  but 
the  secondary  means,  or  help,  in  the  gospel  ministry ; 
second,  that  the  tree  of  knowledge  is  not  the  tree  of  life." 

The  first  definite  action  looking  toward  the  founding 
of  an  institution  of  learning  for  the  Church  was  taken 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1845,  convened  in  Circle- 
ville,  Ohio.  The  estimated  membership  of  the  entire 
denomination  at  this  time  reached  about  thirty  thou- 
sand. The  Church  was  represented  in  this  conference 
by  three  bishops  and  twenty-four  delegates  from  annual 
conferences.  The  bishops  were  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  John 
Coons,  and  Henry  Kumler,  Jun.  Among  the  delegates 
were  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  Jacob  Mark  wood,  John  Russel, 
J.  Bachtel,  J.  Ritter,  Alexander  Biddle,  Joshua  Mont- 
gomery, E.  Vandemark,  H.  G.  Spayth,  George  Bonebrake, 

1  Vol.  VI.,  pp.  336,  337. 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  481 

Daniel  Bonebrake,  and  others  equally  well  known  in  the 
counsels  of  the  Church.  Of  the  delegates  the  first  three 
named  were  afterward  chosen  to  the  office  of  bishop,  and 
one  alone,  Alexander  Biddle,  survives  to  the  present.  The 
subject  of  education  was  taken  under  consideration  by  this 
conference,  and  the  following  tersely  expressed  resolutions 
were,  after  mature  deliberation,  adopted  by  a  nearly  unani- 
mous vote : 

Resolved^  That  proper  measures  be  adopted  to  establish  an  insti- 
tution of  learning. 

Resolved^  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  attention  of  the  annual 
conferences,  avoiding,  however,  irredeemable  debts. 

Two  things  are  worthy  of  note  in  this  action.  The 
first  is  the  apparent  almost  complete  unanimity  which 
characterized  the  movement,  indicating  that  these  fathers 
were  not  averse  to  education  in  general,  their  opposition 
being,  as  before  remarked,  to  an  educated  and  unregen- 
erate  ministry.  The  second  is  their  decided  opposition 
to  incurring  debt,  a  principle  to  which  their  sons  might 
have  adhered  with  great  advantage.  In  the  appendage 
to  the  second  resolution  there  is  plainly  visible  the  hand 
of  the  Kumlers  and  Russel,  whose  thrift  and  strong  aver- 
sion to  debt  are  alike  remembered.  It  is  also  evident 
that  the  conference  in  this  action  contemplated  the  found- 
ing of  but  a  single  institution  for  the  entire  denomination. 
And  when  it  is  considered  that  the  whole  estimated  mem- 
bership of  the  Church  was  but  the  limited  number  given 
above,  one  school  would  seem  to  have  been  for  a  begin- 
ning quite  enough.  Such,  however,  was  not  the  feeling 
of  the  Church,  as  was  presently  seen.  When  once  the 
General  Conference  had  spoken  favorably,  the  impulse 
to  build  colleges  soon  widely  asserted  itself,  and  almost 
every  conference  took  up  the  subject  for  discussion,  and 
many  of  them  for  definite  action.     A  number  of  schools 

31 


482  THE  UNITED  BBETHBEN  IN  CHIUST 

were  almost  immediately  projected,  most  of  which  were 
of  necessity  destined  soon  to  be  absorbed  or  to  perish 
altogether. 

The  Miami  Conference  was  the  first  to  respond  to  the 
action  of  the  General  Conference.  At  the  session  of  this 
conference,  held  in  Otterbein  Chapel,  in  Darke  County, 
Ohio,  on  ^larch  3,  1846,  a  resolution  was  adopted  pro- 
posing to  unite  wdth  the  conferences  in  central  and 
northern  Indiana  to  found  a  college  at  Bluffton,  in  the 
latter  State,  or  at  some  other  suitable  point  which  might 
be  chosen.  The  St.  Joseph  Conference,  Indiana,  at  its 
session  in  Kosciusko  County,  in  October  following,  enter- 
tained favorably  the  proposition  of  the  Miami  Conference, 
and  appointed  three  trustees  for  the  proposed  college,  the 
first  trustees  for  a  college  appointed  in  the  Church.  These, 
it  w^as  intended,  should  cooperate  with  other  trustees  who 
might  be  appointed  by  other  conferences.  The  subject 
received  considerable  discussion,  both  in  private  and  in 
the  columns  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  but  for  some  reason 
the  college  then  proposed  did  not  materialize. 

The  next  movement  toward  college  building  took  form 
in  the  Scioto  Conference.  This  conference,  convening  in 
Pickaway  County,  Ohio,  on  October  26,  1846,  was  met  by 
a  delegation  representing  Blendon  Young  Men's  Seminary, 
located  at  the  town  of  Westerville,  Ohio,  and  belonging 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Cliurch.  The  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University,  of  that  church,  having  just  been  projected  at 
Delaware,  Ohio,  this  seminary  was  left  stranded,  with  a 
debt  of  one  thousand  three  hundred  dollars.  The  repre- 
sentatives of  this  institution  came  before  the  Scioto  Con- 
ference with  a  proposition  to  transfer  to  the  conference 
the  property,  with  nil  its  appurtenances,  if  the  conference 
would  agree  to  assume  this  indebtedness.  Tlie  proposition 
had  at  least  the  semblance   of    being   generous,  and  was 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  483 

at  once  accepted.  A  board  of  trustees  was  appointed, 
and  a  resolution  adopted  inviting  neighboring  conferences 
to  cooperate. 

In  the  month  of  January  following,  1847,  the  Indiana 
Conference,  located  in  southern  Indiana,  resolved  upon 
the  building  of  a  college  either  at  Dublin  or  at  Washing- 
ton, in  that  State.  A  committee,  consisting  of  C.  Lynn, 
L.  S.  Chittenden,  and  J.  Lopp,  was  appointed  to  invite  the 
cooperation  of  the  White  Eiver,  St.  Joseph,  and  Miami 
conferences.  This  scheme  soon  perished,  but  others  were 
presently  to  follow.  The  Allegheny  Conference  had  caught 
the  spirit  of  the  educational  movement,  and  at  its  session 
beginning  February  4  of  the  same  year,  1847,  at  Mount 
Pleasant,  Pennsylvania,  a  series  of  vigorous  resolutions  was 
adopted  looking  to  the  immediate  building  of  a  college, 
either  at  ]\Iount  Pleasant  or  at  Jolnistown.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  whom  the  matter  was  intrusted.  This 
committee  wisely  determined  to  receive  bids,  and  to  locate 
the  school  at  the  place  which  offered  the  largest  local 
subscription  for  the  purchase  of  ground  and  the  erection 
of  buildings.  The  result  was  that  Mount  Pleasant  was 
selected  for  the  location,  and  in  1850  Mount  Pleasant  Col- 
lege was  opened  for  the  reception  of  students.  In  1858  this 
college  was  absorbed  by  Otterbein  University.  The  earnest- 
ness of  the  Allegheny  brethren  in  the  movement  is  indi- 
cated by  the  fact  that  the  conference  placed  on  record  a 
resolution  threatening  censure  uj)on  any  minister  who 
should  oppose  with  adverse  influence  the  college  agent 
in  soliciting  funds  for  tlie  enterprise.  Rev.  J.  Pitter, 
author  of  "Hitter's  Sketches,"  was  appointed  the  first 
traveling  agent  for  the  college.^ 

Two  years  later,  in  1849,  the  Indiana  conferences  having 
failed  to  reach  a  successful  cooperation,  the  quarterly  con- 

'  Lawrence's  in.story.  Vol.  II.,  p.  373. 


484  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ference  of  Newbern  Circuit  decided  to  open  a  seminary 
in  the  town  of  Hartsville,  in  Bartholomew  County.  The 
Indiana  Annual  Conference  within  the  same  year  supported 
this  action  of  the  quarterly  conference,  and  subsequently 
the  White  Eiver  Conference  gave  its  indorsement.  The 
Wabash  and  St.  Joseph  conferences  gave  to  the  enterprise 
for  a  time  a  nominal  support.  The  projectors,  flattered 
with  the  seeming  promise  of  success,  soon  gave  to  their 
school  the  pretentious  name  of  Hartsville  University. 
For  a  number  of  years,  though  carrying  so  large  a  title, 
the  school  did  good  work  as  an  academy.  The  name  was 
subsequently  changed  to  Hartsville  College.  But  a  greater 
misfortune  than  even  its  financial  or  other  limitations  was 
destined  to  befall  it,  its  trustees  in  the  time  of  the  rad- 
ical defection  succeeding  in  carrying  it  away  with  the 
secession.  At  the  present  time,  whatever  the  future  may 
yet  hold  for  it,  the  fortunes  of  the  institution  have  reached 
a  low  ebb. 

Two  other  institutions,  also  the  immediate  outgrowth  of 
the  educational  impulse  w^iich  swept  over  the  Church, 
remain  to  be  noted.  In  1853  the  Illinois  Conference,  sup- 
ported for  a  time  by  the  Eock  River,  established  an  institu- 
tion at  Blandinsville,  Illinois,  known  as  Blandinsville  Semi- 
nary. The  school  exerted  a  good  influence  for  the  Church 
for  a  time,  but  its  support  was  insufficient  to  give  promise 
of  a  future  college,  and  it  was  later  discontinued.  Another 
was  undertaken,  with  apparently  fairer  prospect,  but 
equally  destined  to  failure,  by  the  Michigan  Conference. 
An  institution  located  at  Leoni,  known  as  Michigan  Union 
College,  owned  by  the  Michigan  Conference  of  the  Wes- 
leyan  Methodist  Church,  valued  for  college  purposes  at 
ten  thousand  dollars,  but  already  a  failure,  was  transferred 
to  the  Michigan  Conference  of  the  United  Brethren  Church. 
The   name   after  the   transfer   was   changed  to   Michigan 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  485 

Collegiate  Institute,  and  for  a  time  the  school  under  its 
new  management  seemed  destined  to  reach  fair  success. 
But  the  Church  in  this  State  was  not  able  to  give  it 
sufficient  support  in  either  money  or  students,  and  after 
an  earnest  struggle  against  the  inevitable  it  was  discon- 
tinued. 

It  Tvould  be  an  injustice  to  the  colleges  of  the  United 
Brethren  Church  to  discount  the  value  of  their  work  on 
account  of  their  comparative  smallness,  as  contrasted  with 
some  of  the  older  and  more  largely  endowed  institutions, 
and  especially  with  the  great  universities.  It  is  a  well- 
recognized  fact  that  the  most  thorough  work  is  frequently 
done  in  the  smaller  institutions.  Their  classes  numbering 
from  a  dozen  to  twenty  students,  instead  of  a  hundred  and 
uj^ward,  each  individual  student  is  brought  into  more 
direct  contact  with  the  professors,  and  the  possibilities  of 
better  instruction,  because  more  personal,  are  sufficiently 
manifest.  The  rank  gained  by  their  graduates  when 
entering  some  of  the  large  universities  for  the  pursuit 
of  post-graduate  courses,  and,  more  broadly,  the  distinc- 
tion achieved  in  the  various  callings  of  life  by  those  who 
have  gone  forth  from  these  institutions,  attest  the  sub- 
stantial character  of  the  work  accomplished  in  the  class- 
room. Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  words  hold  good,  "By 
their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

II.       OTTERBEIN    UNIVERSITY. 

The  reader  has  seen  that  while  the  Miami  Conference 
was  the  first  among  the  annual  conferences  to  take  action 
looking  toward  the  founding  of  an  educational  insti- 
tution, the  Scioto  was  the  first  to  put  such  a  movement 
into  effect.  This  conference,  at  its  session  in  Pickaway 
County,  Ohio,  in  October,  1846,  having  accepted  the 
proposition  of  the  representatives  of  Blendon  Young  Men's 


486  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Seminary,  as  has  been  mentioned,  appointed  a  board  of 
trustees  to  take  charge  of  the  new  enterprise.  This  board 
consisted  of  Mr.  J.  Dresbach  and  Revs.  William  Hanby 
and  Lewis  Davis.  The  trustees  met  at  Circleville,  in 
December  following,  and  appointed  Mr.  Davis  as  soliciting 
agent  for  the  school.  Mr.  Davis  was  also  to  visit  neighbor- 
ing annual  conferences,  and  enhst  their  cooperation.  A 
better  selection  for  this  important  work  could  not  have 
been  made.  Mr.  Davis  possessed  in  a  high  degree  the 
qualities  essential  to  success.  He  was  cool  and  deliberate 
in  his  methods,  possessed  unlimited  will  power,  thoroughly 
believed  in  the  cause  which  he  undertook  to  build  up,  and 
gave  himself  to  it  with  all  possible  earnestness  and  deter- 
mination. Two  months  later,  in  February,  1847,  he  visited 
the  Sandusky  Conference,  whose  session  was  held  in  Wood 
County.  He  presented  to  that  body  the  enterprise  under- 
taken by  the  brethren  of  the  Scioto  Conference,  and  asked 
for  their  cooperation.  An  earnest  discussion  followed,  and 
a  favorable  vote  was  secured  by  a  small  majority,  the 
conference  agreeing  to  elect  trustees  and  a  soliciting  agent. 
From  this  place  Mr.  Davis  went  to  the  Muskingum  Con- 
ference, in  session  in  Stark  County,  bringing  to  that  body 
a  like  proposition.  The  conference,  after  a  warm  discus- 
sion, voted  it  down,  and  the  resolute  agent  met  his  first 
real  disappointment. 

The  trustees  elected  by  the  Scioto  and  Sandusky  con- 
ferences met  in  session  in  Westerville  on  April  26,  184  ^ 
After  free  deliberation  they  decided  that  the  name  of 
the  institution  should  be  Otterbein  University.  It  was 
most  fitting  that  this  pioneer  school  of  the  Church  should 
be  named  for  its  great  founder.  Bishop  Otterbein.  The 
name  university,  however,  was  rather  to  be  regarded  as 
a  prophecy  to  be  realized  in  the  future,  for  not  even  a 
college  was  at  first  attempted.     The  school  was  organized 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  487 

as  an  academy,  or  seminaiy,  its  head  bearing  the  appro- 
priate title  of  principal,  instead  of  president.  Mr.  William 
R.  Griffith,  a  graduate  of  Asbury  University,  was  chosen 
for  this  position,  his  associate  teachers  being  Miss  Mary 
Murray  and  Miss  Sylvia  Carpenter.  It  will  be  seen  that 
this  beginning  was  on  a  scale  quite  large  enough,  when 
we  consider  that  the  entire  membership  of  the  Church 
of  that  time,  as  we  have  already  seen,  did  not  exceed 
about  thirty  thousand,  and,  still  further,  that  so  far  only 
two  conferences  were  enlisted  in  the  support  of  the 
work.  On  the  2d  day  of  September,  in  that  year,  1(847, 
the  doors  of  the  school  were  opened  for  the  admission 
of  students.  The  attendance  on  the  first  day  was  not 
especially  promising,  only  eight  students  presenting  them- 
selves. This  number,  however,  was  increased  during  the 
year  to  eighty-one,  so  that  the  aggregate  results  were 
highly  encouraging.  Such  was  the  modest  beginning  of 
an  institution  which  has  in  the  process  of  time  grown 
into  a  position  of  great  honor  in  the  denomination  which 
has  fostered  it,  as  well  as  of  distinguished  standing  among 
the  colleges  of  the  State  in  which  it  is  located,  and  of  the 
country  as  well. 

Otterbein  University  from  its  beginning  admitted  stu- 
dents of  both  sexes  to  equal  privileges  in  its  courses  of 
study,  and  the  example  was  followed  by  Western  and 
Lebanon  Valley  colleges,  and  all  the  other  institutions 
of  the  Church.  At  the  time  of  the  founding  of  these 
earlier  schools  the  principle  of  coeducation  was  still  held 
in  grave  doubt  by  many  educators,  and  many  colleges 
and  universities  to  the  present  day,  especially  in  Europe, 
do  not  admit  women  to  the  same  courses  as  men,  or  confer 
the  same  degrees  upon  the  completion  of  the  required  work. 
The  plan  of  coeducation  has  been  found  to  work  admi- 
rably, resulting  not  only  in  the  encouragement  of  a  higher 


488  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

standard  of  personal  deportment,  with  tlie  almost  total 
prevention  of  conduct  even  bordering  upon  hazing,  but 
also  in  quickening  a  worthy  ambition  in  study  and  the 
attainment  of  higher  results  in  the  classes. 

In  these  early  days  of  the  college  its  success  depended 
greatly  upon  the  energy  and  efficiency  of  its  chief  financial 
agent.  It  needed  friends  in  other  conferences  besides  the 
two  which  entered  into  cooperation  at  the  first.  Mr.  Davis 
visited  successive  conferences,  and  the  institution  being 
now  fairly  started  he  found  it  less  difficult  to  secure  further 
support,  several  conferences  being  soon  added  to  the  list, 
including  the  Miami,  and  others.  The  conferences  now 
uniting  in  the  support  of  the  college  are  the  Scioto,  the 
Miami,  the  Allegheny,  the  Auglaize,  the  Central  Ohio, 
the  East  Ohio,  the  Erie,  the  North  Ohio,  the  Ohio  Ger- 
man, the  Ontario,  the  Parkersburg,  the  Sandusky,  and 
the  St.  Joseph. 

The  college  had  not  long  been  founded  when  the  ques- 
tion of  connecting  with  it  a  system  of  manual  labor  was 
raised.  The  subject  was  freely  discussed  in  the  columns 
of  the  Religious  Telescope,  in  the  meetings  of  the  board  of 
trustees,  and  in  the  annual  conferences.  Some  of  the 
strongest  friends  of  the  college  believed  that  it  could  be 
made  really  useful  to  the  Church  only  if  its  students  were 
required  to  cultivate  habits  of  industry  for  hand  as  well 
as  brain.  Among  those  taking  part  in  this  discussion 
Rev.  Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  bore  a  prominent  part.  He 
was  a  liberal  supporter  of  the  college,  but  believed  that 
the  manual-labor  feature  was  essential  to  its  best  success. 
In  an  article  in  the  Telescope  he  spoke  as  follows:  "Can- 
not institutions  of  learning  be  conducted  without  being 
made  a  curse  to  many,  as  we  see  they  are?  In  many 
instances  students,  while  at  college,  lay  the  foundations 
of  both  their  physical  and  moral  ruin.     They  too  often 


§< 

2    a 
>    a 


&  fM 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  489 

return  from  college  disinclined  to  labor,  and  profligate  in 
their  habits.  ...  So  far  as  I  can  learn,  we  of  the  Miami 
Conference  will  go  in  favor  of  an  institution  in  which 
manual  labor  and  worldly  economy  are  taught,  as  well 
as  letters  and  morality ;  no  student  to  be  admitted  who 
is  able,  physically,  to  perform  labor,  and  will  not.  .  .  . 
Out  of  such  an  institution  we  might  expect  the  rich  and 
the  poor  to  come  with  the  best  intellectual  stock,  capable 
of  enduring  the  hardships  common  to  man  in  this  rough 
world.  .  .  .  For  such  an  institution  our  plain  and  honest 
people  will  go ;  for  they  want  their  children  educated, 
but  not  at  the  sacrifice  of  their  health,  habits  of  industry, 
and  immortal  souls."  And  who  shall  find  any  fault  with 
the  logic  of  this  view?  After  the  lapse  of  nearly  a  half 
century  we  find  a  strong  tendency  toward  the  practical 
in  the  educational  system  of  our  country,  and  schools  of 
technology  are  recognized  as  among  the  most  honored  and 
useful,  while  many  of  our  best  institutions  have  added  a 
department  of  this  character.^ 

Under  the  impulse  of  this  agitation  the  trustees  of 
Otterbein  University  were  led  to  make  provision  for  the 
manual-labor  experiment,  upon  a  plan  which  must  of 
necessity  work  its  own  failure.  The  Church  of  that  time 
was  very  largely  rural ;  most  of  its  ministers  had  come 
from  the  farm,  and  it  was  quite  natural  that  farming  was 
to  constitute  the  chief  feature  in  the  manual-labor  depart- 

1  As  illustrating  the  liberal  feeling  of  Mr.  Kumler  toward  the  college,  though 
he  was  not  a  man  of  large  wealth,  it  is  related  of  him,  that  when  he  was  in 
attendance  at  one  of  the  early  meetings  of  the  board  of  trustees,  of  which  he 
was  a  member,  a  college  agent  deferentially  approached  him,  and  expressed 
the  hope  that  he  would  make  a  small  contribution,  at  least  ten  dollars,  toward 
the  needs  of  the  college.  Mr.  Kumler  regarded  him  for  a  moment  with  a  quiz- 
zical sort  of  expression,  and  replied  that  if  the  agent  would  give  him  ten 
dollars  he  would  kick  the  whole  thing  down  into  A4um  Creek,  a  small  stream 
flowing  through  the  lower  lands  near  by.  The  college  building  which  he  meant 
to  dispose  of  in  this  way  was  the  old  Blendon  Seminary.  He  had  in  mind  the 
erection  of  something  better  for  the  college,  and  before  the  board  adjourned  he 
had  given  his  obligation  for  five  hundred  dollars  toward  the  building  of  the 
new  college  edifice. 


490  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ment  of  the  school.  A  farm  was  purchased,  a  superin- 
tendent was  appointed,  and  the  students  were  set  to  work. 
But  the  long  winter  season  was  unfavorable  for  farming, 
and  in  the  summer  came  the  long  vacation.  And  as  the 
young  men  were  not  to  farm  for  the  purpose  of  learning 
how, — a  business  which  most  of  them  understood  pretty 
well, — but  were  to  use  the  farm  for  the  purposes  of  a 
gymnasium,  no  very  great  enthusiasm  could  be  awakened 
among  them.  And  so,  despite  the  many  warm  discussions 
in  the  board  of  trustees,  and  the  vigorous  resolutions 
adopted  and  spread  upon  its  records,  and  the  numerous 
articles  printed  in  the  Religious  Telescope,  farming  at  Otter- 
bein  was  doomed  to  perish.  Very  wisely,  by  and  by,  the 
farm  was  sold,  and  the  proceeds  applied  to  relieving  the 
rapidly  growing  liabilities  of  the  college. 

The  outbreak  of  the  great  Civil  War  in  1861  bore 
heavily  against  this  institution,  as  against  all  the  colleges 
of  the  land.  The  call  to  arms  was  heroically  responded 
to  by  the  young  men  of  the  country,  and  the  colleges 
everywhere  yielded  up  their  full  quota.  So  large  was  the 
proportion  of  Otterbein  students  enlisted  that  some  of  the 
classes  were  almost  wholly  depleted  of  their  young  men. 

Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  college  it  became  apparent 
that  the  old  wooden  building  was  insufficient  for  its  uses, 
and  arrangements  were  early  made  looking  toward  the 
erection  of  a  new  college  building.  A  large  building  was 
erected,  three  stories  in  height,  the  rooms  on  the  lower 
floors  to  be  occupied  for  recitation,  library,  and  other 
purposes,  while  on  the  upper  floor  there  was  a  large 
room  intended  for  a  college  chapel  and  to  serve  as  a 
place  of  w^orship  for  the  United  Brethren  congregation 
in  Westerville.  It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  of  a 
building  less  fortunately  constructed  with  reference  to 
specific    purposes    than    v/as    this    first    college    building 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  491 

erected  by  the  Church.  Yet  it  served  its  ends  for  a  series 
of  years  until,  in  the  night  of  January  26,  1870,  it  was 
consumed  by  fire.  The  loss  of  this  building,  with  its 
library,  cabinet,  and  scientific  apparatus,  was  felt  for  a 
time  to  be  a  most  serious  calamity.^  Steps  were,  how- 
ever, immediately  taken  to  repair  the  loss  by  the  erection 
of  a  new  building.  The  result  was  the  rearing  of  the 
present  commodious,  handsomely  designed,  and  convenient 
edifice.  This  building  is  one  hundred  and  seventy  by 
one  hundred  and  four  feet  in  extent,  and  two  and  three 
stories  in  height  above  the  basement.  It  contains  twenty- 
six  rooms,  including  chapel,  four  literary  halls,  recitation, 
library,  and  reading  rooms,  and  offices.  In  addition  to 
this  large  building,  the  central  figure  of  the  group,  there 
are  three  others — a  ladies'  hall,  a  conservatory  of  music, 
and  a  Christian  Association  and  gymnasium  building.  The 
last-named  is  a  students'  enterprise.  It  is  an  extremely 
handsome  structure,  accommodating  both  a  Young  Men's 
and  a  Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  and  is  the 
first  college  Christian  Association  building  erected  in  the 
State  of  Ohio.  The  grounds  connected  with  the  college, 
now  finely  shaded  by  a  grove  planted  many  years  ago, 
comprise  about  eight  and  one-half  acres.  The  buildings 
and  grounds  together  are  valued  at  about  seventy  thou- 
sand dollars. 

The  amount  of  endowment  secured  for  the  college  is 
over  eighty-two  thousand  dollars,  to  which  are  added 
contingent  assets  amounting  to  about  sixty-two  thousand 

1  Among  the  misfortunes  most  deeply  regretted  in  connection  with  this  fire 
was  the  loss  of  a  copy  of  the  famous  Sinaitic  Manuscript,  of  which  there  were 
but  six  in  the  United  States.  This  copy,  the  special  gift  of  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment to  the  university,  was  secured  through  the  good  offices  of  Prof.  Julius 
Degmeier,  who  was  at  that  time  connected  with,  the  school,  and  who,  through 
personal  acquaintance  with  certain  high  European  officials,  was  able  to  bring 
his  request  for  the  university  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  the  Russian 
authorities.  The  loss  was  all  the  greater  since  it  was  necessarily  impossible  to 
replace  it  by  another  copy. 


492  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

dollars.  The  total  assets  are  over  two  hundred  and  seven- 
teen thousand  dollars.  For  many  years  the  college  strug- 
gled with  debt,  sometimes  almost  hopelessly.  A  few  years 
ago  it  was  resolved  to  raise  the  sum  of  eighty  thousand 
dollars  for  its  relief.  A  heroic  effort  w^as  required  before 
this  amount  was  reached,  but  the  greatly  desired  end  was 
finally  gained,  and  the  college  was  placed  upon  a  per- 
manently assured  foundation.  Liabilities  to  some  extent 
still  remain  to  be  provided  for.  In  this  effort  to  relieve 
the  college  some  of  its  friends  devoted  so  much  time  and 
effort,  as  well  as  money,  as  to  deserve  special  mention  here. 
Among  these  were  IMr.  David  L.  Rike  and  Mr.  Samuel 
E.  Kumler,  of  Dayton.  The  latter  gave  several  months 
almost  continuously  to  the  work. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  estimate  now,  as  the  college 
has  entered  upon  its  semicentennial  year,  the  amount  of 
service  it  has  accomplished.  It  has  graduated  in  all  since 
its  founding  four  hundred  and  fifty-six  students,  while 
others  who  have  been  in  attendance  for  longer  or  shorter 
periods,  completing  partial  courses,  are  numbered  by  many 
thousands.  Its  graduates  occupy  positions  of  honor  and 
responsibility,  in  ecclesiastical  and  civil  life,  in  many  dif- 
ferent States  of  the  Union.  It  would  be  equally  impossible 
to  forecast  the  future  of  this  first  school  of  the  Church. 
Its  rank  is  still  that  of  a  college,  its  place  as  a  university, 
in  the  larger  sense  of  the  term,  being  still  a  dream  to  be 
realized  in  the  future,  as  the  needs  and  the  liberality  of 
the  Church  are  alike  enlarged.  But  its  grade  is  high 
among  the  foremost  of  the  colleges,  and  its  friends  may 
indulge  the  hope  that  it  will  in  time  attain  to  the  dis- 
tinguished position  which  its  name  indicates. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  held  the  position  of  pres- 
ident of  the  college  :  William  R.  Griffith,  A.M.  (principal), 
1847-49  ;  Rev.  WilHam  Davis,  1849-50  ;  Rev.  Lewis  Davis, 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  493 

D.D.,  1850-57  and  1860-71  ;  Rev.  Alexander  Owen,  1858- 
60  ;  Rev.  D.  Eberly,  D.D.,  1871-72  ;  Rev.  H.  A.  Thompson, 
D.D.,  LL.D.,  1872-86  ;  Rev.  Henry  Garst,  D.D.,  1886-89  ; 
Hon.  C.  A.  Bowersox,  A.M.,  1889-91;  Rev.  Thomas  J. 
Sanders,  Ph.D.,  1891  to  the  present  time.  The  faculty 
of  the  college  at  present  comprises  sixteen  persons  :  Rev. 
T.  J.  Sanders,  Ph.D.,  president  and  professor  of  philos- 
ophy;  John  Haywood,  LL.D.,  professor  emeritus;  John 
E.  Guitner,  A.M.,  Greek  language  and  literature ;  Rev. 
Henry  Garst,  D.D.,  mental  and  moral  philosophy  and 
English  Bible  ;  Louis  H.  McFadden,  A.M.,  natural  science  ; 
George  Scott,  Ph.  D.,  Latin  language  and  literature ; 
Frank  E.  Miller,  Ph.D.,  mathematics ;  Tirza  L.  Barnes, 
B.S.,  English  language  and  history,  and  principal  of  the 
ladies'  department ;  Rev.  William  J.  Zuck,  A.M.,  English 
language  and  literature ;  Rudolph  H.  Wagoner,  A.B., 
assistant  in  Latin  and  principal  of  preparatory  and 
normal  departments ;  Josephine  Johnson,  M.xl.,  modern 
languages  and  literature  ;  Rev.  W.  0.  Fries,  A.M.,  Chris- 
tian evidences ;  Isabel  A.  Sevier,  drawing  and  paint- 
ing ;  Gustav  Meyer,  director  conservatory  of  music ;  M. 
Luther  Peterson,  voice  culture ;  Frank  S.  Fox,  A.M.,  elo- 
cution. 

Some  of  the  men  connected  with  the  college  have  given 
it  long  periods  of  service.  John  Haywood,  LL.D.,  was 
elected  professor  of  mathematics  in  1851,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  years,  has  remained  in  the  college  to 
the  present  time.  He  has  occasionally,  in  the  division  of 
labor,  taught  also  natural  science.  In  1893,  on  account 
of  increasing  years,  he  was  relieved  of  full  duty,  and  was 
elected  professor  emeritus.  He  is  in  the  forty-first  year  of 
his  connection  with  the  college. 

Thomas  ^McFadden,  A.M.,  M.D.,  became  connected  with 
the  college  in  1858  as  professor  of  natural  science.    He  died 


494  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

in  1884,  after  a  continuous  service  of  twenty-six  years, 
except  a  short  period  spent  in  the  War  as  an  army  surgeon. 
John  E.  Guitner,  A.M.,  a  graduate  of  the  college,  was 
elected  professor  of  the  Greek  language  and  literature  in 
1862.  He  has  remained  in  this  connection  continuously 
since,  being  now  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  service. 

Henry  Garst,  D.D.,  also  a  graduate  of  the  college,  was 
elected  professor  of  the  Latin  language  and  literature  in 
1869.  He  was  president  from  1886  to  1889,  three  years, 
since  which  time  he  occupies  the  chair  of  mental  and  moral 
philosophy  and  English  Bible.  He  is  in  the  twenty-eighth 
year  of  continuous  service. 

Dr.  H.  A.  Thompson,  a  graduate  of  Washington  and 
Jefferson  College,  Pennsylvania,  was  elected  professor  of 
mathematics  and  natural  science  in  1862.  He  was  presi- 
dent from  1872  to  1886  ;  professor  of  logic  and  rhetoric 
1886-87,  serving  through  a  period  of  twenty-five  years. 

Dr.  T.  J.  Sanders,  a  graduate  of  Otterbein  University, 
title  Ph.D.  received  from  Wooster  University  on  examina- 
tion, was  elected  president  in  1891.  Pie  possesses  learning 
and  fine  enthusiasm.  His  accession  inspired  the  friends 
of  the  college  to  the  recent  extraordinary  effort  to  relieve 
it  of  its  nearly  hopeless  embarrassment.  He  may  safely 
be  thought  of  as  one  of  the  younger  men  of  the  Church 
for  whom  there  is  an  assured  future. 

Among  those  who,  after  Dr.  Davis,  performed  most 
efficient  service  for  the  college  as  financial  managers  were 
Kevs.  J.  Weaver,  J.  M.  Spangler,  J.  B.  Pvesler,  C.  AV.  Miller, 
and  S.  'M.  Hippard.  ^Mr.  John  Knox,  as  a  member  of  the 
prudential  committee,  has  been  one  among  the  safest  of 
the  financial  counselors.  The  present  executive  committee 
of  the  general  finance  committee  are  Mr.  S.  E.  Kumler, 
Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey,  Mr.  John  Gerlaugh,  Mr.  Fred.  H.  Rike, 
and  Prof.  Albert  B.  Shauck. 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  495 

III.       WESTERN    COLLEGE. 

The  first  steps  looking  toward  the  founding  of  an  institu- 
tion of  learning  by  the  United  Brethren  Church  west  of  the 
Mississippi  Eiver  were  taken  by  the  Iowa  Annual  Confer- 
ence at  a  session  held  at  ^luscatine  in  August,  1S55.  After 
a  full  consideration  of  a  projDosition  for  this  end  a  board 
of  trustees  was  elected,  charged  with  the  duty  of  proceeding 
immediately  to  the  work.  This  first  board  consisted  of 
Revs.  Solomon  Weaver,  W.  G.  Miller,  Joseph  j\Iiller,  Daniel 
Runkle,  and  ^Ir.  Jonathan  Neidig.  The  board  was  in- 
structed "as  soon  as  possible  to  select  a  site  for  the  location 
of  the  college,  in  as  convenient  a  place  as  230ssible  for  the 
whole  Church  in  Iowa."  It  was  decided  that  the  new 
institution  should  be  known  as  "Western  College  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ." 

At  a  meeting  held  in  February,  1856,  the  trustees  accepted 
a  tract  of  land  lying  in  the  open  prairie,  near  Shueyville,  in 
Linn  County,  for  a  location,  and  soon  afterward  commenced 
the  erection  of  the  main  building.  The  town  springing  up 
around  it  took  the  name  of  Western.  The  Des  Moines  Con- 
ference, having  resolved  to  cooperate  with  the  Iowa,  elected 
J.  Hopkins  and  C.  Witt  as  trustees,  and  at  the  meeting  in 
October  Solomon  AVeaver  was  elected  president  of  the  college. 
The  work  on  the  building  was  pushed  vigorously,  and  on 
January  1,  1857,  the  doors  were  opened  for  the  reception  of 
students.  The  other  members  of  the  faculty  for  the  open- 
ing term  were  S.  S.  Dillman,  Mrs.  E.  S.  Dillman,  and  J.  C. 
Shrader. 

The  manual-labor  system,  which  had  been  so  elaborately 
discussed  in  the  columns  of  the  Religious  Telescope  in  con- 
nection with  Otterbein  University, — with  niucli  greater 
success  in  type  than  in  the  furrows  of  tlie  farm, —  was 
regarded  with  favor  by  the  founders  of  Western  College. 
The  trustees  adopted  the  plan,  provided  a  farm,  and  after 


496  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

five  years  of  effort  to  run  it  with  student  labor  abandoned 
it  as  a  failure.  The  school  from  the  beginning,  as  all 
the  schools  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  admitted  both 
sexes  to  equal  privileges  in  the  classes. 

Within  a  few  years  after  the  opening  of  the  school  the 
great  War  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out.  The  effect  upon 
the  college  classes  was  most  decided.  So  many  of  the 
students,  with  two  professors,  in  loyal  obedience  to  their 
country's  call,  left  the  recitation  room  for  the  camp  and 
the  front  that  scarcely  a  man  of  military  age  was  left, 
and  some  of  the  classes,  as  to  their  male  members,  were 
completely  broken  up.  And  so  disastrous  were  the  effects 
of  the  War  upon  the  attendance  at  the  college  that  for 
several  years  its  grade  was  lowered,  and  its  presidents 
were  known  by  the  title  of  principal. 

The  successive  presidents  of  Western  College,  with  their 
terms  of  service,  were  as  follows :  Rev.  Solomon  Weaver, 
1856-64 ;  Rev.  William  Davis,  1864-65  ;  M.  W.  Bartlett, 
A.M.  (principal),  1865-67;  H.  R.  Page,  A.B.  (principal), 
fall  term,  1867-68  ;  E.  C.  Ebersole,  A.M.  (principal),  1867- 
68  ;  E.  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  1868-81 ;  W.  M.  Beardshear,  D.D., 
1881-89  ;  J.  S.  Mills,  D.D.,  Ph.D.,  1889-92  ;  A.  M.  Beal,  A.M., 
1892-93  ;  A.  P.  Funkhouser,  B.S.,  1893-94 ;  Lewis  Book- 
waiter,  D.D.,  1894  to  the  present.  The  faculty  at  this  time 
embraces  twelve  persons.  Those  in  the  regular  college 
departments  are  as  follows :  Rev.  Lewis  Bookwalter,  D.D., 
president  and  professor  of  philosophy  ;  B.  F.  McClelland, 
vice-president  and  professor  of  English  literature  and  prin- 
cipal of  preparatory  and  normal  departments  ;  Edward  L. 
Colebeck,  A.M.,  Latin  and  Greek  languages  ;  B.  A.  Sweet,  M.S., 
natural  science ;  Raymond  E.  Bower,  Ph.B.,  mathematics  ; 
Maud  Fulkerson,  A.M.,  German  and  French.  Other  depart- 
ments, including  music,  art,  commerce,  physical  culture, 
and   so  on,  such  as  are  usually  connected  with  the  best 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  497 

colleges,  are  fully  provided  for.  The  whole  number  of 
graduates  of  the  college  from  the  beginning  is  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety-six.  The  number  of  students  in  attend- 
ance during  the  year  closing  June,  1896,  was  two  hundred 
and  thirty-five.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  students 
have  entered  the  gospel  ministry.  Fifty-two  of  its  gradu- 
ates, or  over  one-fourth  of  the  entire  number,  not  taking 
account  of  others  who  have  attended  the  college  for  shorter 
periods,  have  been  enrolled  either  as  ministers  or  as 
missionaries.  Six  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Church 
now  in  the  foreign  field  are  graduates  from  this  college. 
That  so  many  of  its  young  people  should  have  entered 
the  sacred  calling  speaks  volumes  for  the  religious  condi- 
tions which  have  marked  the  progressive  life  of  the  college. 
The  religious  life  is  further  emphasized  by  the  organization 
of  a  Young  Men's  and  a  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation, each  earnest  and  aggressive  in  its  work. 

The  removal  of  the  college  from  its  original  location 
to  its  present  most  desirable  situation  was  an  event  of 
the  greatest  importance  to  the  institution.  The  first  loca- 
tion had  long  been  felt  to  be  an  unfortunate  one,  and  a 
desire  was  widely  entertained  to  secure  for  it  a  more 
favorable  position.  But  the  removal  of  a  college  from 
one  place  to  another  is  always  a  difficult  undertaking, 
and  is  seldom  attempted.  The  step  was,  however,  at 
last  fully  resolved  upon,  and  in  the  year  1881,  a  quarter 
of  a  century  from  the  time  of  the  founding,  the  transfer 
was  made  to  the  beautiful  city  of  Toledo,  in  the  same 
State.  Preparatory  to  this  suitable  grounds  were  secured 
and  the  necessary  buildings  erected.  Eight  years  subse- 
quent to  this  time  the  college  was  doomed  to  meet  with 
a  most  serious  disaster,  quite  like  that  which  had  befallen 
Otterbein  University  some  years  before.  On  Christmas 
night  in  1889  the  main   building  was  consumed  by  fire, 

32 


498  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

all  its  contents,  the  library  alone  excepted,  perishing  with 
it.  Steps  were  immediately  taken  for  rebuilding,  and, 
through  the  2:)rompt  liberality  of  the  people  of  Toledo  and 
the  friends  of  the  college  elsewhere,  the  present  very  hand- 
some edifice  soon  arose  from  the  ashes  of  that  which  was 
destroyed.  This  building  is  in  extent  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  by  eighty,  and  three  stories  in  height  above  the 
basement.  It  is  rich  in  its  architectural  design.  The  walls 
are  of  brick,  with  stone  ornamentation.  It  is  fitted  up  with 
the  most  approved  methods  of  heating,  and  is  justly  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  best  college  buildings  in  the  State. 
Its  large  and  inviting  rooms  for  the  various  requirements 
of  a  college  adapt  it  alike  to  the  needs  of  teachers  and 
students.  Other  buildings,  as  the  Bright  Conservatory  of 
Music,  Mary  Beatty  Hall,  the  boarding  hall  for  young  ladies, 
and  Drury  Hall,  the  young  men's  boarding  hall,  are  con- 
nected with  the  college.  The  college  church,  a  model  of 
architectural  excellence,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  a  thou- 
sand, is  admirably  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  a  church 
and  Sunday  school.  The  grounds  connected  with  the 
college  embrace  an  area  of  sixteen  acres.  The  entire  prop- 
erty— buildings,  grounds,  and  equipments — is  valued  at 
about  seventy  thousand  dollars.  The  conferences  now 
cooperating  with  the  college,  including  the  original  two, 
are  the  Iowa,  the  Des  Moines,  the  Rock  River,  the  Wiscon- 
sin, the  Minnesota,  and  the  Colorado. 

The  founding  and  building  of  Western  College,  like  that 
of  most  educational  institutions  when  resources  are  limited, 
called  for  the  exercise  of  true  Christian  heroism.  The  first 
among  those  to  urge  the  building  of  a  college  for  the 
Church  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  was  Rev.  Solomon 
Weaver,  an  older  brother  of  Bishop  AVeaver.  Mr.  Weaver 
was  not  only  first  in  the  board  of  trustees,  but  was  also 
elected  the  first  president  of  the  college.     Like  some  others 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  499 

who  have  gained  distinction  as  college  presidents,  in  our 
own  and  other  denominations,  he  possessed  but  a  limited 
scholastic  education.  But  he  had  that  which  the  college, 
whatever  it  may  do  in  developing,  can  never  supply — the 
original  fiber.  He  had  strong  native  sense,  a  clear  intel- 
lect, and  great  earnestness  of  purpose.  His  views  respect- 
ing the  establishment  of  colleges  for  the  Church  were  much 
in  advance  of  those  of  most  of  the  ministers  and  people 
at  that  time.  His  work  in  connection  with  the  founding 
and  early  progress  of  Western  College  accomplished  most 
important  results  for  the  Church.  In  1864  he  resigned 
the  presidency,  and  removed  to  Kansas.  He  died  in 
December,  1874. 

His  successor  as  president  of  Western  College,  for  a  single 
year  only,  was  Eev.  William  Davis,  earlier  of  the  Miami 
Conference.  Mr.  Davis  was  a  preacher  of  great  eloquence 
and  power,  but  lacking  in  the  elements  requisite  for  the 
successful  management  of  a  college.  Before  removing  to  the 
West  he  had  served  for  a  brief  period  as  president  of  Otter- 
bein  University.  His  memory  in  the  Miami  Conference, 
where  a  part  of  his  ministerial  life  was  passed,  is  tenderly 
cherished. 

Dr.  E.  B.  Kephart,  a  graduate  of  Otterbein  University, 
was  called  to  the  presidency  in  1868.  He  served  for 
thirteen  years,  when  he  was  elected  by  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1881  to  the  office  of  bishop.  During  the  period 
of  the  AYar  the  attendance  had  so  far  declined  that  for 
three  years  the  board  of  trustees  had  not  elected  a  presi- 
dent. Dr.  Kephart  inaugurated  at  once  a  vigorous  admin- 
istration, both  in  the  college  and  in  its  general  affairs. 
The  collegiate  work  proper  was  reorganized,  and  in  1872, 
four  years  after  he  became  its  head,  the  college  graduated 
a  class  of  ten.  During  the  thirteen  years  of  his  manage- 
ment seventy  young  people  took  their  diplomas. 


500  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

In  the  year  1881,  that  of  the  removal,  a  strong  hand 
was  needed  to  guide  the  affairs  of  the  eohege,  and  the 
trustees  were  fortunate  in  selecting  for  its  president  Rev. 
William  M.  Beardshear,  a  graduate  of  Otterbein  University 
and  a  member  of  Miami  Conference.  Dr.  Beardshear's 
ability  and  energy,  joined  with  the  imj^etus  and  inspiration 
of  a  relocation  in  a  new  and  promising  field,  made  his 
eight  years  of  service  a  signal  success.  The  college 
during  this  period  advanced  well  to  the  front,  so  as  to 
gain  recognition  among  the  foremost  colleges  of  the  State. 

Rev.  J.  S.  Mills — Bishop  Mills  since  May,  1893  —  was 
called  from  the  chair  of  English  literature  and  rhetoric 
in  the  college  to  the  presidency  in  1889,  serving  in  that 
relation  until  1892.  He  had  scarcely  entered  fully  upon 
his  work  when  the  disastrous  Christmas  fire  swept  away 
the  main  college  building,  and  brought  with  it  the  greatest 
inconvenience  for  faculty  and  students  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  college  year,  as  well  as  the  necessity  of 
providing  immediately  for  the  erection  of  a  new  build- 
ing. The  work  was  undertaken  in  a  heroic  spirit,  and 
through  the  liberality  and  energy  of  those  interested  a 
new  and  more  commodious  building  soon  took  the  place 
of  that  which  had  been  destroyed. 

During  the  years  immediately  following,  those  in  charge 
found  it  necessary  to  divide  their  time  between  the  work 
in  the  college  and  attention  to  the  financial  situation. 
Prof.  A.  M.  Beal  and  Rev.  A.  P.  Funkhouser  served  each 
one  year  as  president.  The  weakening  of  the  financial 
conditions  and  the  temporary  loss  of  credit  made  the 
situation  embarrassing  and  the  work  difficult. 

It  was  under  these  circumstances,  in  1894,  that  Lewis 
Bookwalter,  D.D.,  a  graduate  of  the  college,  who  had  occu- 
pied the  chair  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages  from  1873 
to  1879,  was  called  to  the  presidency.     Dr.  Bookwalter,  at 


CX)LLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  601 

that  time  in  the  sixth  year  of  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
United  Brethren  Church  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  accepted  the 
responsibihty,  and  at  once  addressed  himself  with  great 
earnestness  to  the  work.  Under  his  direction  the  faculty 
has  been  reorganized,  the  general  management  placed 
upon  a  more  economic  basis,  the  debt  materially  reduced, 
and  the  number  of  students  largely  increased.  Some 
large  donations  have  been  made  by  men  of  means,  and 
in  every  way  the  outlook  for  the  future  has  become  more 
hopeful. 

But  to  write  thus  of  a  college,  making  mention  chiefly 
of  the  heads  of  its  faculty,  and  leaving  out  of  view  those 
who  have  borne  the  principal  care  of  the  financial  burdens, 
is  a  grave  injustice  to  some  who  have  rendered  eminent 
service  in  this  less  conspicuous  relation.  Among  those 
who  have  served  longest  and  most  efficiently  in  this  less 
ornate  but  equally  essential  service,  may  be  mentioned 
the  Rev.  M.  S.  Drury,  father  of  Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  of 
Union  Biblical  Seminary,  and  of  Dr.  M.  R.  Drury,  of  the 
Religious  Telescope.  Rev.  L.  H.  Bufkin  is  another  who 
has  toiled  long  and  laboriously  in  this  often  thankless 
yet  necessary  service.  Among  others  as  chief  supporters 
and  friends  of  the  college  may  be  named  Dr.  E.  R.  Smith, 
of  Toledo. 

IV.       WESTFIELD    COLLEGE. 

Westfield  College,  located  at  the  town  of  Westfield, 
IlHnois,  was  founded  in  1865.  It  was  the  larger  out- 
growth of  an  academy  which  was  organized  in  the  same 
place  three  years  before.  The  Lower  and  the  Upper 
Wabash  were  the  conferences  cooperating  at  the  first. 
To  these  have  since  been  added  the  Illinois,  Central 
Illinois,  and  Indiana  conferences.  The  first  president 
of  the  college  was  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Allen,  D.D.,  previously 


502  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

a  professor  in  Otterbein  University,  the  other  members  of 
the  faculty  being  Professors  W.  R.  Shuey,  A.M.,  W.  T. 
Jackson,  A.M.,  Ph.D.,  W.  0.  Tobey,  A.M.,  and  Mrs.  Rachel 
Tobey,  M.A.  President  Allen  died  in  1879,  after  a  labori- 
ous service  of  fourteen  years.  Professor  Tobey  was  elected 
joint  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope  in  1873.  Dr. 
Allen  was  succeeded  in  the  presidency  by  Dr.  Lewis 
Bookwalter,  now  president  of  Western  College,  Iowa.  He 
served  two  years,  and  w^as  succeeded  by  Dr.  I.  L.  Kep- 
hart,  now  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  who  served 
five  years.  After  him  came  Dr.  W.  H.  Klinefelter,  who, 
after  a  service  of  six  years,  resigned,  in  1895,  to  return 
to  the  pastorate.  He  is  now  pastor  of  the  Summit  Street 
Church,  at  Dayton,  Ohio.  He  was  succeeded  by  Prof. 
B.  L.  Seneff,  A.B.,  who  is  the  incumbent  at  the  present 
time. 

The  college  building  is  pleasantly  located  in  a  campuc 
of  six  acres  of  ground.  It  is  in  extent  forty  by  one  hun- 
dred feet,  with  cross  extensions  fort}^  feet  in  depth.  It  is 
of  brick,  two  stories  in  height,  and  contains  all  the  requisite 
rooms  for  the  various  uses  of  the  college.  The  incorpo- 
rators and  original  board  of  trustees  were  AV.  C.  Smith, 
A.  Helton,  D.  Ross,  S.  Mills,  H.  Elwell,  E.  R.  Connelly, 
D.  Evinger,  and  J.  H.  Coons.  These  men,  with  others 
who  have  followed,  have  spent  years  of  laborious  toil  in 
their  efforts  to  build  up  this  college.  The  connection  of 
Rev.  W.  C.  Smith  with  the  college  as  trustee,  and  much 
of  the  time  as  agent,  has  remained  unbroken  from  the 
beginning,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  at  one  time, 
and  perhaps  no  man  in  the  denomination  has  toiled  more 
unremittingly,  or  with  greater  devotion  and  self-sacrifice, 
in  building  up  any  of  our  institutions,  through  dark 
days  as  well  as  through  bright,  than  he.  An  embarrassing 
debt,  formed  long  ago,  which  had  remained  as  a  burden 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  503 

upon  the  college,  was  recently  liquidated,  so  that  the  insti- 
tution is  now  without  liability.  The  value  of  the  property 
— building  and  grounds — is  estimated  at  about  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars. 

The  faculty  at  the  present  time,  in  all  the  departments, 
embraces  twelve  persons ;  six  of  these  are  in  the  regular 
academic  department,  as  follows :  Rev.  B.  L.  SenefF,  A.B., 
president  and  professor  of  mental  and  moral  science  ;  Rev. 
William  R.  Shuey,  A.M.,  vice-president,  mathematics ; 
A.  C.  Streich,  A.B.,  Latin  and  Greek ;  Miss  Sarah  L. 
Newell,  Ph.  B.,  English  literature,  German,  and  history ; 
W.  R.  Rhodes,  natural  science ;  C.  E.  Bigelow,  A.M., 
preparatory  department.  Professor  Shuey's  connection 
with  the  college  has  remained  unbroken  from  the  first, 
and  for  twenty-five  years  he  has  occupied  the  chair  of 
mathematics.  The  college  has  graduated  from  the  begin- 
ning, from  the  regular  collegiate  departments,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  students.  The  attendance  during  the 
year  1895-96  was  one  hundred  and  forty-eight.  A  number 
of  departments,  such  as  are  usually  found  in  connection 
with  colleges,  are  well  represented,  as  music,  art,  business, 
shorthand,  typewriting.  The  courses  of  study  in  the  regular 
college  department  are  being  extended  as  rapidly  as  means 
will  permit,  and  the  college,  now  that  its  embarrassing 
financial  condition  is  relieved,  hopes  to  add  steadily  to  the 
already  excellent  advantages  which  it  off'ers  to  the  young 
people  of  the  Church.  The  church  membership  from 
which  it  draws  its  students,  as  well  as  material  resources, 
numbers  about  thirty  thousand. 

V.       LANE    UNIVERSITY. 

About  the  year  1864  a  considerable  amount  of  interest 
was  awakened  among  the  United  Brethren  in  Kansas  on 
the  subject  of  education.     This  interest  was  largely  stimu- 


504  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

lated  by  the  coming  to  Kansas  of  Rev.  Solomon  Weaver, 
who  had  been  president  of  Western  College.  Kansas  Con- 
ference at  that  time  included  all  of  the  State  of  Kansas, 
with  portions  of  Nebraska  and  Missouri.  Favorable  action 
was  taken  by  the  conference  looking  toward  the  building 
of  a  college,  and  the  proposed  institution  was  located  at 
the  town  of  Lecompton,  situated  fifteen  miles  east  of 
Topeka,  and  fifty  miles  west  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 
The  college  was  named  Lane  University,  the  name  being 
given  in  honor  of  James  H.  Lane,  who  was  one  of  the 
first  United  States  Senators  from  Kansas,  and  a  prominent 
and  helpful  factor  in  Kansas  affairs  in  that  troublous 
period.  The  cooperating  conferences  interested  in  this 
institution  are  the  Kansas,  Neosho,  and  Arkansas  Valley. 
Support  is  derived  from  Northwest  Kansas  and  Southwest 
Kansas  conferences,  but  they  do  not  directly  cooperate. 
The  courses  of  study  provided  are  those  usual  to  colleges, 
such  as  classical,  scientific,  literary,  normal,  and  music. 

Rev.  Solomon  Weaver  is  regarded  as  the  founder  of  Lane 
University,  and  he  was  its  first  president.  The  first  faculty 
included  the  names  of  Rev.  David  Shuck  and  Miss  Nettie 
Stickney.  The  beginning  was  thus  modestly  made,  in 
harmony  with  the  circumstances  then  existing.  President 
Weaver  continued  in  the  service  of  the  college  two  years. 
His  successors  were  Rev.  Daniel  Shuck,  four  years  ;  N.  B. 
Bartlett,  eleven  years ;  L.  S.  Tohill,  one  year ;  S.  B.  Ervin, 
D.D.,  four  years ;  J.  A.  Weller,  D.D.,  four  years.  Dr.  C. 
M.  Brooke  was  elected  in  June,  1891,  and  continues  to  the 
present. 

The  buildings  and  grounds  of  the  college  are  of  ample 
proportions.  The  grounds  embrace  an  area  of  fifteen  acres. 
Thirteen  acres  are  included  in  the  main  college  campus. 
This  land  once  constituted  the  grounds  for  the  State  capitol, 
and  in  it  were  laid  the  massive  foundations  for  a  State 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  505 

building.  Before  tlie  work  had  gone  further,  the  capital 
was  removed  to  Topeka,  and  the  State  subsequently 
donated  this  ground  to  the  college.  On  a  portion  of  this 
foundation  the  main  college  building  was  erected.  This 
building  is  forty-five  by  seventy-five  feet  in  extent,  and 
three  stories  in  height,  with  basement.  The  other  building 
is  sixty-four  by  fifty-six  feet,  two  stories  in  height,  with 
basement.  Both  are  substantially  constructed,  and  covered 
with  iron  roofs.  In  the  main  building  there  are  six 
recitation  rooms,  an  auditorium,  two  literary  society  halls, 
a  room  for  experimental  work  in  chemistry,  and  one  for 
a  similar  purpose  in  physics.  The  other  building  contains 
library,  music,  reception,  dining,  and  commercial  rooms, 
fifty  in  all,  twenty-four  of  the  number  for  students.  The 
property  is  valued,  at  a  conservative  estimate,  at  thirty 
thousand  dollars. 

The  institution  was  founded  originally  on  the  responsi- 
bility of  leading  members  of  the  Church  in  Kansas,  who 
operated  it  for  a  time  as  a  private  enterprise  in  form,  but 
really  for  the  Church.  This  arrangement  proving  unsatis- 
factory to  the  membership,  the  institution,  with  all  that 
pertained  to  it,  was  transferred  in  fee  simple  to  a  board 
of  trustees  elected  by  the  Kansas  Conference,  thus  becom- 
ing the  property  of  the  Church.  The  college  has  been 
fortunate  in  avoiding  a  heavy  indebtedness.  In  1891, 
when  Dr.  Brooke  took  the  presidency,  the  liabilities 
amounted  to  only  a  little  over  twelve  thousand  dollars. 
This  debt  has  since  been  reduced  to  six  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars,  with  all  current  expenses  paid.  Dr. 
Brooke  has  brought  fine  tact  and  energy  to  the  service 
of  the  college,  and  his  work  in  building  it  up  in  its  various 
departments  has  led  to  most  gratifying  results. 

Lane   University   has   gained    for    itself    an    honorable 
position  among  the  higher  institutions  of  learning  in  the 


506  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

State.  It  belongs  to  the  State  association  of  Kansas  col- 
leges, and  its  president  is  secretary  of  that  association. 
In  issuing  certificates  to  teachers  the  State  Board  of 
Education  accepts  the  work  done  at  Lane  without  question. 
The  college  has  graduated  in  its  higher  departments 
sixty-eight  students,  and  from  special  courses  thirty-seven. 
It  has  an  attendance  of  about  two  hundred  students  for 
the  current  year. 

The  faculty  for  the  present  year  stands  as  follows : 
Charles  Morgan  Brooke,  A.M.,  D.D.,  president  and  professor 
of  philosophy  and  sociology  ;  Norman  Bruce  Bartlett,  A.M., 
Ph.D.,  history  and  pedagogy  ;  Joshua  Nizely  Bank,  A.B., 
Greek  and  Latin ;  John  Sullivan  Brooke,  A.M.,  mathe- 
matics ;  Elijah  Sheridan  Andis,  A.B.,  science ;  Gabriel 
Marion  Huffman,  D.D.,  biblical  history  and  literature ; 
Martha  Wilson,  instructor  in  school  of  music ;  Bishop 
J.  W.  Hott,  D.D.,  conductor  of  divinity  school ;  E.  S.  Andis, 
school  of  commerce. 

For  a  little  over  thirty  years  this  institution  has  been 
quietly  pursuing  its  way,  offering  the  advantages  of  a 
liberal  education  to  the  young  people  of  the  Church  in 
Kansas.  It  has  not  yet  attained  the  eminence  which  its 
projectors  and  friends  had  hoped  it  would  gain,  but  it 
has  accomplished  an  important  service  to  the  Church  in 
Kansas,  and  with  the  continued  growth  of  the  Church 
in  numbers  and  strength  it  has  before  it  the  prospect  of  a 
greatly  enlarged  future. 

VI.       LEBANON    VALLEY    COLLEGE. 

Lebanon  Valley  College,  one  of  the  early  educational 
institutions  of  the  Church,  was  founded  in  the  year  1866. 
It  is  located  in  the  town  of  Annville,  Pennsylvania,  and 
is  in  part  the  outgrowth  of  the  earlier  Annville  Academy, 
which   was   foujided   in   1834.     This  school  was  built  by 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  507 

l^rivate  enterprise,  and  became  the  chief  source  of  educa- 
tion to  a  large  number  of  men  who  attained  to  prominence 
in  church  and  state  in  eastern  Pennsylvania.  When  it 
became  known  that  the  East  Pennsylvania  Conference 
desired  to  establish  somewhere  within  its  bounds  an  insti- 
tution of  a  higher  grade,  the  owners  and  trustees  of 
Annville  Academy  proposed  to  transfer  that  school,  with 
all  its  property,  to  the  conference.  Among  the  gentlemen 
interested  in  the  academy  were  Mr.  Rudolph  Herr,  Judge 
John  H.  Kinports,  Rev.  George  A.  Mark,  Rev.  L.  W. 
Craumer,  Mr.  George  W.  Hooverter,  and  others.  The 
proposition  thus  made  was  favorably  entertained  and 
accepted  by  the  conference,  and  the  property  was  accord- 
ingly transferred  to  a  duly  appointed  board  of  trustees 
in  the  year  1866.  Additional  ground  was  soon  after  pur- 
chased, necessary  new  buildings  were  erected,  a  faculty 
was  provided,  and  the  institution  entered  upon  its  new 
career  as  Lebanon  Valley  College.  A  charter,  liberal  in 
its  provisions,  was  granted  it  by  the  legislature  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  year  1867.  At  different  subsequent  times 
the  Pennsylvania,  East  German,  Virginia,  and  Maryland 
conferences  became  interested  with  the  East  Pennsylvania 
Conference  in  the  ownership  and  support  of  the  college. 
The  first  faculty  of  the  college  consisted  of  Thomas  R. 
Vickroy,  Ph.D.,  John  Krumbine,  E.  Benjamin  Bierman, 
A.M.,  Ph.D.,  Miss  Ellen  L.  Walker,  and  Miss  Lizzie  M. 
Rigler. 

The  buildings  of  this  college,  three  in  number,  are  located 
upon  a  fine  campus  of  about  ten  acres,  and  are  together 
valued  at  about  sixty-one  thousand  dollars.  The  main 
building  is  a  large  brick  edifice,  provided  with  college 
chapel,  recitation  rooms,  society  halls,  reading-room,  and 
gymnasium,  besides  dormitories  for  young  men.  A  second 
building   contains   the   library,  an   art   room,   and    music 


508  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

rooms,  with  the  entire  department  of  natural  sciences, 
including  laborator}^  and  museum.  A  third  building, 
known  as  the  Ladies'  Hall,  is  the  home  of  the  young  ladies 
attending  the  institution.  The  endowment  of  the  institu- 
tion, which  it  is  earnestly  desired  to  augment,  amounts 
at  the  present  time  to  seventy  thousand  dollars.  The 
number  of  students  in  attendance  during  the  past  year 
was  one  hundred  and  forty.  The  number  of  its  graduates 
up  to  the  present  is  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven,  while 
the  number  attending  its  classes  since  its  founding,  for 
longer  or  shorter  periods,  has  reached  the  ample  figure 
of  about  twenty-five  hundred.  It  is  thus  apparent  that 
the  institution  has  served  a  generous  mission  in  the  work 
of  promoting  higher  education,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
Church. 

The  courses  of  instruction  offered  are  very  complete,  in 
every  way  equal  to  those  pertaining  to  institutions  of  its 
grade.  To  these  are  added  post-graduate  courses  leading 
to  the  degree  of  doctor  of  philosophy.  The  college  library 
contains  over  five  thousand  volumes,  being  supplemented 
by  nearly  two  thousand  more  in  the  halls  of  the  literary 
societies.  Among  the  organizations  connected  with  the 
college  are  Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian 
Associations,  which  exert  a  healthful  influence  in  the 
Christian  development  of  the  young  people  attending  the 
institution.  Added  to  the  library  is  a  cabinet  representing 
various  branches  of  natural  science,  as  mineralogy,  geology, 
and  zoology. 

The  present  faculty  embraces  nine  instructors,  with  Dr. 
Bierman  at  the  head  as  president  and  professor  of  mental 
and  moral  science.  The  others  are  H.  Clay  Deaner,  A.M., 
in  the  chair  of  the  Latin  language  and  literature,  and 
astronomy ;  John  E.  Lehman,  A.M.,  professor  of  mathe- 
matics ;  Rev.  J.  A.  McDermad,  A.M.,  Greek  language  and 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  509 

literature  ;  Oscar  Ellis  Good,  A.M.,  natural  science  ;  Fannie 
A.  Allis,  A.B.,  modern  languages  and  English  literature  ; 
Carrie  M,  Flint,  instrumental  music ;  Carrie  E.  Smith, 
harmony  and  theory  ;  Stocks  Hammond,  Mus.  Doc,  voice 
culture ;  Sadie  A.  Light,  elocution,  and  Leah  C.  Hartz, 
stenography  and  typewriting.  The  gentlemen  who  have 
occupied  the  chair  of  president  of  the  college  since  its 
founding  are  as  follows :  From  1866  to  1871,  Thomas  R. 
Vickroy,  Ph.D. ;  1871-76,  Lucian  H.  Hammond  ;  1876-87, 
D.  D.  DeLong,  D.D. ;  1887-89,  Edmund  S.  Lorenz,  A.M. ; 
1889-90,  Cyrus  J.  Kephart,  D.D. ;  1890  to  the  present  time. 
Dr.  Bierman. 

It  is  no  disparagement  to  the  excellent  work  done  in  the 
college,  and  under  the  careful  management  of  the  gentle- 
men who  have  preceded  Dr.  Bierman  in  the  position  of 
president,  to  say  that  under  his  administration  the  college 
has  made  steady  advancement  toward  better  conditions. 
The  college  work  done  has  been  of  a  high  grade.  The 
liabilities  have  been  materially  reduced,  additions  to  the 
endowment  fund  have  been  made,  and  in  general  the  out- 
look for  the  college  is  full  of  promise  for  the  future. 

VII.       PHILOMATH    COLLEGE. 

Philomath  College,  located  in  the  town  of  Philomath, 
Benton  County,  Oregon,  was  chartered  in  November,  1865, 
and  opened  its  doors  for  students  in  September,  1867.  It 
is  under  the  auspices  of  the  Oregon  Conference.  It  has 
never  attained  to  large  proportions,  owing,  more  than  to 
any  other  cause,  to  the  extreme  radicalism  which  proved 
so  troublesome  during  a  long  series  of  years,  in  several 
portions  of  the  Church,  and  which  nowhere  acquired  a 
greater  intensity  than  in  the  Oregon  Conference.  Never- 
theless, the  college,  though  working  under  so  great  disad- 
vantages, has  given  a  better  equipment  for  the  battles  of 


510  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

life  to  a  very  considerable  number  of  students.  The  town 
of  Philomath  is  essentially  a  college  town,  its  building 
having  chiefly  followed  that  of  the  college,  and  the  college 
itself  giving  the  name  to  the  town.  The  college  buildings 
are  located  in  a  beautiful  campus  containing  eleven  acres. 
Besides  this  an  inviting  grove  of  three  acres,  a  half  mile 
distant,  and  situated  on  the  banks  of  St.  Clary's  Eiver,  is 
owned  by  the  college.  On  this  ground  the  commence- 
ment and  other  general  exercises  are  held.  The  location 
of  the  college  and  town  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
to  be  found  in  that  State,  which  abounds  so  much  in  the 
picturesque.  It  is  situated  in  the  far-famed  Willamette 
Valley,  at  the  foot  of  the  lofty  Coast  Range.  St.  Mary's 
Peak,  the  highest  elevation  in  the  range,  is  but  a  few  miles 
away,  while  Blount  Jefferson,  Mount  Hood,  and  Three 
Sisters  are  plainly  visible.  With  cooling  air  from  the 
mountains  on  the  one  side,  and  the  invigorating  sea  breezes 
from  the  other,  the  location  is  peculiarly  fine  and  healthful. 
The  college  began  its  work  in  a  modest  way,  with  but 
two  teachers,  Joseph  Hannon  and  E.  Woodward,  at  the 
first.  Mr.  Hannon  was  succeeded  in  the  following  year 
by  E.  P.  Henderson,  and  Mr.  Henderson  by  James  Cham- 
bers, A.M.,  each  serving  but  a  single  year.  Mr.  J.  A. 
Biddle,  A.B.,  was  head  of  the  school  for  two  years,  from 
1870  to  1872,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  E,  N.  Sell- 
wood,  A.M.,  one  year.  Rev.  R.  E.  WilHams,  A.M.,  fol- 
lowed, 1873-76,  when  Rev.  W.  S.  Walker  succeeded  to  a 
service  of  eight  years,  1876-84.  Others  followed :  G.  A. 
Miller,  1884-86  ;  Major  Thomas  Bell,  A.M.,  1886-87  ;  Rev. 
James  C.  Keezel,  1887-89;  Rev.  W.  S.  Gilbert,  A.M., 
1889-93  ;  Rev.  P.  0.  Bonebrake,  A.M.,  1893-95,  and  Rev. 
B.  E.  Emrick,  A.B.,  1895  to  the  present.  The  present 
faculty  embraces  four  persons  ;  in  the  college  department 
proper,  Rev.  B.  E.  Emrick,  A.B.,  and  Henry  Sheak,  M.S. 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  511 

The  value  of  the  college  buildings  aud  grounds  is 
estimated  at  about  ten  thousand  dollars.  There  is  an 
endowment  of  five  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  bear- 
ing interest  at  ten  per  cent.,  and  about  an  equal  amount 
involved  in  uncertainty.  In  addition  to  this,  the  college 
owns  a  considerable  property  in  town  lots.  The  Oregon 
Pacific  Railroad  runs  through  the  college  campus,  thus 
connecting  the  place  conveniently  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 
This  college,  as  well  as  the  conference  in  which  it  is 
located,  suffered  greatly  in  the  recent  agitations  preceding 
and  following  the  radical  secession.  The  legal  conflict  for 
possession  of  the  college  has  been  elsewhere  referred  to.^ 
With  the  legal  troubles  settled,  the  outlook  for  both  the 
college  and  Church  is  brightening. 

VIII.       AVALON   COLLEGE. 

This  institution,  at  first  located  at  Avalon,  Missouri,  was 
founded  in  the  year  1869,  the  supporting  conferences  being 
the  Missouri  and  Southern  Missouri.  Like  all  the  colleges 
of  the  Church  it  began  its  career  upon  a  scale  of  unpre- 
tentious proportions,  its  faculty  at  the  first  consisting  of  only 
three  persons,  Rev.  M.  H.  Ambrose,  ^liss  Lizzie  Hanby, 
and  Miss  Frankie  McNeil.  The  school  was  maintained 
at  Avalon  until  the  year  1890,  when,  to  secure  better 
advantages  of  location,  it  was  removed  to  Trenton,  in  the 
same  State.  The  removal  was  effected  under  the  direction 
of  President  F.  A.  Z.  Kumler,  who  became  the  head  of  the 
institution  four  years  previously,  in  1886.  The  gains  made 
by  the  removal  were  far  larger  than  simply  those  of  greater 
convenience,  the  finances  of  the  college  being  by  this  step 
immensely  improved.  Under  the  wise  foresight  of  Presi- 
dent Kumler  a  valuable  tract  of  land  was  secured.  This 
was  laid  out  in  lots  to  be  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  college, 

'  p.  396. 


512  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  the  result  was  a  generous  fund  for  the  erection  of  a 
building,  and  something  further  for  its  permanent  endow- 
ment. A  well-planned  and  commodious  college  building, 
containing  thirty  rooms,  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  forty 
thousand  dollars.  The  building  is  heated  by  steam,  lighted 
with  electricity,  and  in  every  way  thoroughly  modern  in 
its  appointments.  Its  chapel,  seated  in  the  most  approved 
manner,  accommodates  six  hundred  persons.  The  grounds 
retained  for  the  college  campus  embrace  four  acres. 

President  Kumler,  when  assuming  the  duties  of  his 
office  ten  years  ago,  having  become  financial  director  as 
well  as  president  proper,  wisely  resolved  that  the  school 
must  be  conducted  without  incurring  debt,  and  firmly 
held  to  this  purpose.  When  the  college  was  removed  to 
Trenton,  he  entered  the  new  field  without  money.  But 
with  full  faith  in  the  wisdom  of  the  change  and  in  the 
working  out  of  his  ^Dlans,  he  rented  a  hall  and  began 
work.  He  succeeded  in  keeping  all  expenses  paid,  and 
in  two  years  was  ready  to  present  to  the  Church  the 
splendid  building  which  he  had  erected,  a  property,  with 
the  lands  pertaining  to  it,  valued  at  fifty  thousand  dollars — 
this  upon  the  single  condition  that  the  Church  make  sale 
of  lots  to  the  extent  of  twenty  thousand  dollars.  Writing 
of  the  result,  two  years  ago.  President  Kumler  said,  "The 
Church  has  sold  the  twenty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
lots,  and  now  the  college  is  free  from  debt,  the  only  col- 
lege in  the  Church  of  which  this  may  be  said."  He  adds 
that  about  one  hundred  new  houses  had  been  erected 
near  the  college  within  two  years,  and  that  the  future  of 
the  institution  was  altogether  hopeful. 

The  college  faculty  at  the  present  time  embraces  twelve 
members,  as  follows  :  F.  A.  Z.  Kumler,  A.M.,  president,  E.  B. 
Cassell,  A.M.,  C.  F.  Emerick,  M.S.,  A.M.,  F.  E.  Washburn, 
A.M.,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Z.  Kumler,  L.B.,  in  the  college  department 


I 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  513 

proper ;  in  other  departments,  J.  H.  Drake,  Mrs.  E.  B. 
Cassell,  and  H.  E.  Beals.  The  whole  number  of  gradu- 
ates from  the  founding  of  the  college  to  the  present  time 
is  sixty-two.  The  amount  of  its  endowment  is  ten  thou- 
sand dollars. 

IX.       SAN    JOAQUIN    VALLEY    COLLEGE. 

This  institution,  located  at  Woodbridge,  California,  was 
founded  in  the  year  1879.  In  1878  the  citizens  of  Wood- 
bridge  and  vicinity  purchased  seven  acres  of  land  adjoining 
the  place,  and  erected  thereon  a  commodious  school  build- 
ing. In  the  year  following  the  property  was  transferred 
to  the  California  Conference,  and  on  September  10,  1879, 
the  institution  was  formally  dedicated  by  Bishop  Castle. 

On  the  day  following  the  dedication  the  school  was 
opened  for  the  reception  of  students,  with  Prof.  T>.  A. 
Mobley,  A.M.,  as  principal  and  Prof.  E.  H.  Eidenour 
assisting,  no  college  grade  being  at  the  first  attempted. 
The  school  grew  rapidly  in  popularity  and  in  the  attend- 
ance of  students,  so  that  in  a  few  years  the  trustees  felt 
that  the  time  had  come  for  placing  it  upon  a  broader 
basis  and  advancing  it  to  the  grade  of  a  college.  In 
May,  1883,  a  new  charter  was  obtained,  tlie  institution 
then  taking  the  name  of  San  Joaquin  A^alley  College. 
Meanwhile,  there  had  been  added  to  the  faculty  Rev. 
W.  H.  Klinefelter,  A.M.,  later  president  of  Westfield  Col- 
lege, Illinois,  as  professor  of  natural  science,  and  Rev. 
I.  L.  Kephart,  D.D.,  also  at  one  time  president  of  Westfield, 
and  now  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  as  professor  of 
mental  and  moral  science.  The  first  class,  consisting  of 
four  members,  was  graduated  in  1885. 

When  the  school  was  raised  to  the  grade  of  a  college. 
Professor  Mobley  was  elected  president.  He  continued  in 
that  relation  for  eight  years,  when  he  resigned,  after  having 

33 


514  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

been  for  twelve  years  the  head  of  the  school.  Rev.  J.  G. 
Huber,  A.M.,  was  elected  his  successor,  in  1891,  and  two 
years  later,  in  1893,  was  succeeded  by  W.  J.  Ham,  LL.B. 
Professor  Ham  resigned  in  1895,  w^hen  Rev.  A.  L.  Cowell, 
B.D.,  w^as  elected  to  succeed  him.  The  faculty  at  the 
present  time  consists  of  A.  L.  Cowell,  president  and  pro- 
fessor of  mental  and  moral  science  ;  W.  J.  Ham,  professor 
of  natural  science  ;  Rev.  Theodore  A.  Waltrip,  B.D.,  pro- 
fessor of  history  and  principal  of  business  department; 
Miss  Ella  Jahant,  Ph.B.,  teacher  of  music.  The  depart- 
ments of  literature  and  mathematics  are  for  the  present 
distributed  among  other  members  of  the  faculty. 

The  college  offers  three  full  courses  of  study — classical, 
philosophical,  and  scientific,  each  requiring  four  years, 
with  a  preparatory  course  of  three  years.  It  has  gradu- 
ated fifty-one  persons — twenty-eight  gentlemen  and  twenty- 
three  ladies. 

The  college  building  is  a  large  two-story  edifice,  having 
on  its  second  floor  a  spacious  chapel,  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  other  rooms  to  meet  present  requirements. 
The  college  has  a  well-selected  library,  a  good  museum 
and  philosophical  apparatus,  and  handsomely  furnished 
halls  for  its  literary  societies. 

The  institution  is  necessarily  dependent  in  large  degree 
upon  the  people  of  other  denominations,  being  owned 
bv  but  a  single  conference  of  less  than  a  thousand  mem- 
bers, and  this  support  comes  in  generous  degree.  It  is 
apparent  that  w^ith  but  one  conference  to  support  this 
college,  and  that  conference  having  but  so  small  a  mem- 
bership, it  must  struggle  with  unusual  difficulty  in  carrying 
forward  its  work,  and  surprise  must  be  felt  that  it  has 
accomplished  such  results  as  have  been  reached,  and  that, 
instead  of  a  debt  of  a  few  thousand  dollars,  it  is  not 
actually  overwhelmed  with  embarrassment. 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  515 

X.       UNION    COLLEGE. 

The  question  of  founding  an  institution  to  meet  the 
local  educational  needs  of  the  United  Brethren  in  West 
Virginia  had  been  under  frequent  consideration  previous 
to  the  year  1881.  A  larger  emphasis  was  given  to  this 
thought  by  the  advent  of  two  young  men  from  Otterbein 
University,  Eevs.  J.  0.  Stevens  and  L.  F.  John,  who  con- 
ducted select  schools  of  short  terms  in  the  summer  of  that 
year  in  Lewis  and  Upshur  counties,  the  latter  at  Buck- 
hannon.  The  success  of  these  schools  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  some  of  the  members  of  the  Parkersburg  Conference, 
among  them  Dr.  Z.  Warner,  Eev.  W.  M.  Weekley,  Rev. 
Columbus  Hall,  and  others.  Professor  Stevens  took  super- 
vision of  the  public  schools  of  Buckhannon  from  1881  to 
1883,  and^  gathered  about  him  many  of  the  foremost  young 
people  of  that  part  of  the  State.  Not  having  completed 
his  course  at  Otterbein  University,  he  returned  there  to 
pursue  further  studies,  when  he  was  soon  smitten  down 
by  the  hand  of  death. 

On  his  retirement  from  Buckhannon,  for  a  temporary 
period,  as  was  his  thought.  Professor  John  took  his  posi- 
tion, ably  assisted  by  Mrs.  Stevens.  Under  his  direction 
the  type  of  the  school  was  changed,  making  it  practically 
a  church  school,  and  this  character  it  soon  fully  assumed. 
In  the  same  year,  1883,  ground  was  broken  for  a  new 
building,  and  a  structure  with  ample  conveniences  for  the 
uses  of  an.  academy  was  in  due  time  erected.  Several 
courses  of  study,  as  classical,  philosophical,  teachers'  nor- 
mal, commercial,  and  musical,  were  arranged.  Apparatus 
was  purchased,  the  nucleus  of  a  library  was  secured,  the 
teaching  force  was  increased,  and  soon  the  school  was  in 
successful  operation. 

In  June,  1885,  Professor  John  resigned,  and  Prof.  W. 
S.  Reese,  Ph.M.,  took  the  principalship  for  one  year.     In 


516  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

1886  Rev.  W.  0.  Fries,  A.M.,  a  graduate  of  Lebanon 
Valley  College,  was  elected  principal.  He  continued  for 
three  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Eev.  W.  0.  Mills, 
A.M.,  a  graduate  of  Otterbein  University.  Professor  Mills 
has  remained  at  the  head  of  the  institution  to  the  present, 
being  now  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  work.  The  school  has 
until  recently  borne  the  name  of  West  Virginia  Normal 
and  Classical  Academy,  instead  of  the  larger  name  of 
college,  and,  as  such,  has  done  most  excellent  service  for 
the  young  people  of  West  Virginia,  both  in  and  out  of 
the  Church.  The  annual  attendance,  as  shown  by  the 
catalogues,  has  varied  between  the  numbers  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  and  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  number  of  the 
graduates  in  the  literary  department  is  forty-eight. 

For  several  years  past  negotiations  have  been  in  progress 
with  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church  in  West  Virginia 
for  a  transfer  of  a  half  interest  in  the  college  to  that 
denomination.  The  two  churches  are  so  far  alike  in 
doctrinal  beliefs  and  all  essentials  of  government  that  it 
is  thought  they  can  cooperate  harmoniously  in  educational 
work.  The  final  details  of  the  union  are  at  this  writing 
about  completed. 

XI.       YORK    COLLEGE. 

One  of  the  newest  of  the  colleges  of  the  United  Brethren 
Church  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  students,  at  York, 
Nebraska,  in  August,  1890.  This  institution,  earlier  known 
as  Gibbon  Institute,  at  Gibbon,  Nebraska,  is  under  the  care 
of  the  East  Nebraska,  West  Nebraska,  Elkhorn  and  Dakota, 
and  Colorado  conferences.  It  offers  the  usual  courses  of 
study  pertaining  to  colleges — classical,  scientific,  normal, 
commercial,  music,  art,  elocution,  and  so  on.  Pev.  J.  George, 
D.D.,  became  its  first  president,  and  continued  in  that 
relation  for  several  vears.     Other  members  of  the  original 


COLLEGES  AND  A  CADEMIES  517 

faculty  were,  in  the  college  proper,  A.  B.  Statton,  Miss 
Elnora  Dickman,  Miss  Florence  Williams,  and  in  the 
adjunct  departments,  0.  P.  Wilson,  Mrs.  W.  E.  Morgan, 
and  Mrs.  E.  J.  Wightman.  The  fticulty  at  the  present  time 
embraces,  in  all  its  departments,  eleven  members.  Five  of 
these  are  in  the  regular  collegiate  departments  :  President 
W.  S.  Reese,  Ph.M.,  higher  mathematics  and  philosophy  ; 
Abbie  C.  Burns,  A.M.,  modern  languages  and  hterature  ; 
Maud  Acton  Bradrick,  A.B.,  Greek  and  Latin  ;  J.  E.  Max- 
well, A.M.,  natural  science ;  Charles  N.  Hinds,  A.M.,  history 
and  English  language. 

The  principal  college  building  is  an  imposing  edifice, 
built  of  brick  and  stone,  four  stories  in  height,  including 
the  basement.  It  contains  twenty-nine  rooms,  and  is  heated 
throughout  by  steam.  Its  chapel  has  seats  for  about  eight 
hundred  persons.  The  corner-stone  for  this  handsome 
structure  was  laid  by  Bishop  Kephart  in  June,  1891,  and 
the  dedicatory  services  of  the  completed  building  were 
conducted  by  Dr.  William  M.  Beardshear  in  the  following 
year.  The  grounds  embrace  about  nine  acres.  The  build- 
ing and  grounds  are  valued  at  about  thirty-five  thousand 
dollars.  An  important  provision  for  the  permanent 
security  of  the  property  in  the  hands  of  its  original 
owners  is  found  in  the  fact  that  it  can  never  be  mort- 
gaged. 

The  college  graduated  two  students  at  the  end  of  the 
first  four  years.  The  number  of  students  in  attendance 
for  the  past  year,  in  all  its  departments,  was  two  hundred 
and  three.  The  college  is  far  removed  from  any  other 
institution  of  the  Church,  and  has  a  broad  field  from  which 
to  derive  its  students.  It  has  felt,  like  all  our  other  schools, 
the  prevailing  monetary  stringency,  but  its  friends  are 
hopeful,  and  with  an  improved  financial  condition  of  the 
country  it  will  greatly  enlarge  its  usefulness. 


518  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

XII.      SHENANDOAH    INSTITUTE. 

In  the  Virginia  Conference  there  was  felt  for  a  number 
of  years  the  need  of  a  school,  not  aspiring  to  the  propor- 
tions of  a  college,  but  an  institution  of  more  modest 
pretensions,  such  as  might  meet  the  local  requirements 
of  the  people  within  the  bounds  of  that  conference.  Such 
a  school  was  founded  at  the  first  by  private  enterprise,  in 
1876,  just  a  little  over  twenty  years  ago.  In  1884  it 
passed  under  the  direct  care  and  control  of  the  confer- 
ence. The  location  for  the  school  was  chosen  at  Dayton, 
in  Rockingham  County,  in  the  beautiful  Shenandoah 
Valley,  and  it  was  appropriately  named  for  this  far- 
famed  valley — Shenandoah  Institute.  Suitable  buildings 
were  erected,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1876  the  school  was 
opened  to  receive  students.  Rev.  J.  N.  Fries,  A.M.,  was 
its  first  principal,  with  the  following  associate  teachers : 
Rev.  A.  P.  Funkhouser,  William  Funk,  ^liss  Anna  Baer, 
and  Miss  Ida  Funkhouser.  The  buildings,  now  three  in 
number,  two  of  brick  and  one  a  frame,  are  two  stories 
in  height,  and  contain  together  thirty-three  rooms.  The 
grounds  comprise  about  two  acres.  The  whole  property, 
with  its  appurtenances,  is  valued  at  about  ten  thousand 
dollars. 

The  range  of  study  includes  classical,  scientific,  Eng- 
lish, and  commercial  courses,  with  medicine,  music,  and 
art.  The  faculty  at  the  present  time  embraces,  for  all 
the  departments,  eight  members.  The  following  persons 
have  served  in  the  office  of  principal :  Rev.  J.  N.  Fries, 
A.M.,  1876-78  and  1883-87;  Rev.  A.  R  Funkhouser, 
1878-81;  Rev.  W.  J.  Zuck,  1881-82;  Rev.  T.  H.  Son- 
nedecker,  1882-83  ;  Rev.  George  P.  Hott,  A.M.,  1887-96  ; 
Rev.  E.  U.  Hoenshel,  1896  to  the  present.  The  annual 
attendance  of  students  approaches  one  hundred.  The 
graduates  up  to  the  present,  in  the  regular  academic  depart- 


COLLEGES  AND  ACADEMIES  519 

ments,  number  fifty -one.  Thus  the  school,  while  not  claim- 
ing a  more  exalted  rank  than  its  name  implies,  succeeds 
in  accomplishing  a  large  amount  of  good,  and  has  proved 
a  real  blessing  to  many  of  the  young  people  of  our  Church 
in  Virginia  who  would  not  otherwise  have  gained  the 
advantages  of  a  higher  education. 

XIII.       EDWARDS    ACADEMY. 

Edwards  Academy,  founded  in  1877,  was  located  orig- 
inally at  Greenville,  Tennessee.  Four  years  later  the 
location  was  changed  to  White  Pine,  in  the  same  State. 
The  school  was  named  for  Bishop  Edwards,  who  took 
much  interest  in  the  Tennessee  Mission  Conference.  The 
first  principal  was  S.  C.  Hanson,  who  served  four  years, 
or  until  the  removal  to  White  Pine.  The  next  principal 
was  Rev.  Lewis  Book  waiter,  the  present  head  of  Western 
College,  in  Iowa.  He  served  but  a  single  year,  when  he 
returned  to  the  North.  David  W.  Doran  served  five  years, 
from  1882  to  1887.  The  inability  of  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference, on  account  of  the  smallness  of  its  membership,  to 
properly  support  it,  left  to  the  academy  but  a  precarious 
life,  and  frequent  changes  in  the  teaching  force  continued. 
The  recent  development  of  the  work  in  Tennessee,  by 
which  large  accessions  have  been  made  to  the  Church, 
has  placed  the  academy  in  a  greatly  improved  relation. 
Last  year,  1895-96,  there  was  an  attendance  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  students ;  this  number  has  now 
advanced  to  over  two  hundred.  With  so  large  an  increase 
the  accommodations  are  quite  insufficient  for  the  present 
need.  Hev.  J.  D.  Droke,  A.M.,  who  has  recently  assumed 
the  duties  of  principal,  begins  his  work  greatly  encouraged 
with  the  outlook  so  far  as  students  are  concerned.  The 
academy  has  five  teachers  :  Professor  Droke,  principal  and 
teacher    of    the   ancient   languages   and   sciences ;    E.    S. 


520  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Vaught,  English  and  mathematics ;  Mrs.  N.  E.  Gass, 
primary  department.  Other  departments,  as  commercial 
and  music,  are  also  represented.  Apparently  the  academy, 
while  retaining  its  more  modest  name,  is  fairly  on  the  way 
toward  attaining  the  proportions  of  a  respectable  college. 

XIV.   ERIE  CONFERENCE  SEMINARY. 

The  institution  bearing  this  name  is  beautifully  located 
in  the  town  of  Sugar  Grove,  in  Warren  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, well  toward  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  State. 
It  was  opened  for  the  admission  of  students  on  September 
1,  1884.  Its  situation  is  within  the  bounds  of  the  Erie 
Conference,  and  this  conference  alone  is  directly  interested 
in  its  support.  The  purpose  of  the  founding  was  to  pro- 
vide in  the  nearer  home  field  educational  conveniences 
for  the  young  people  especially  within  the  bounds  of  that 
conference  and  in  that  section  of  the  State,  as  also  in  the 
adjacent  territory  of  western  New  York. 

The  seminary  building  is  a  structure  of  good  size,  being 
ninety  by  sixty  feet  in  extent,  and  three  stories  in  height. 
It  is  built  of  brick,  trimmed  with  stone,  and  has  nineteen 
rooms,  including  a  well-furnished  chapel.  The  ground 
is  a  handsome  plat  of  four  acres.  The  surroundings  of  the 
town  and  seminary  are  picturesque  and  attractive.  The 
property  is  valued  at  about  twenty-two  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  institution  is  practically  without  debt. 

The  school  began  its  career  with  a  faculty  of  six  in- 
structors. Rev.  R.  J.  White,  A.M.,  being  principal.  His 
associates  in  the  work,  in  the  various  departments,  were 
W.  W.  Prugh,  S.  C.  Hayden,  Miss  Alice  Dickson,  E.  H. 
Hill,  and  Mrs.  R.  J.  White.  Professor  White  has  remained 
at  the  head  of  the  institution  continuously  to  the  present. 
The  school  now  has  seven  persons  in  its  faculty.  The 
departments    of    study    provided    are   college   preparatory, 


COLLEGES  AND  A  CADEMIES  521 

normal,  scientific,  music,  and  so  on.  The  aim  is  to  do 
thorough  work  in  everything  that  is  undertaken,  but  no 
pretense  is  made  of  doing  the  broader  work  of  a  college, 
no  promises  being  held  out  which  the  school  is  not  pre- 
pared to  meet. 

The  seminary  is  as  y^i  without  an  endowment,  and 
consequently  not  self-supporting.  The  annual  deficiency, 
however,  is  made  good  by  its  principal  founder,  so  that 
no  accumulating  debt  is  permitted  to  burden  the  institu- 
tion. Professor  White,  as  the  principal  of  this  school,  has 
shown  most  commendable  skill,  not  only  in  giving  direc- 
tion to  the  department  of  instruction,  but  in  the  control 
of  its  finances  as  well.  By  a  wise  and  economical  man- 
agement he  has  preserved  the  school  from  the  embarrass- 
ments which  have  proved  so  heavy  an  incubus  upon 
most  educational  institutions. 

The  school  since  its  founding  has  graduated  ninety 
young  men  and  women.  When  to  these  are  added  the 
hundreds  who  have  received  instruction  in  its  classes 
without  going  on  to  graduation,  it  will  be  seen  that  in 
the  thirteen  years  of  its  existence  it  has  accomplished  a 
noble  service  for  the  Church. 

XV.       OTHER    INSTITUTIONS. 

Besides  the  institutions  named  in  the  preceding  pages, 
efforts  have  been  made,  at  various  times,  and  in  different 
States,  to  build  up  others.  They  were  organized  under 
various  names,  as  colleges,  seminaries,  academies,  and 
institutes,  but,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two,  have 
ceased  to  exist.  Some  of  them  were  absorbed  by  other 
and  larger  institutions,  some  were  transferred  to  other 
locations  and  reorganized  under  other  names,  and  others 
closed  because  of  insufficient  financial  support.  All  of 
them  served  a  useful  purpose  for  a  time,  and  several  were 


522  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

continued  for  a  considerable  number  of  years.  A  few 
of  them  were  chiefly  under  private  control,  with  confer- 
ence recognition.  All  of  them  deserve  mention  here,  as 
indicating  the  interest  of  the  people  in  the  conferences 
where  they  were  located  in  the  work  of  building  up  the 
Church  by  every  proper  means,  and  the  sacrifices  they 
were  ready  to  make  for  this  end.  The  institutions  referred 
to  are  as  follows  : 

Roanoke  Seminary,  at  Roanoke,  Indiana ;  Green  Hill 
Seminary,  at  Green  Hill,  Indiana  ;  Fostoria  Academy,  at 
Fostoria,  Ohio  ;  Elroy  Institute,  at  Elroy,  Wisconsin  ;  Dover 
Academy,  at  Dover,  Illinois  ;  Ontario  Academy,  in  Ontario, 
Dominion  of  Canada  ;  Washington  Seminary,  at  Hunts- 
ville,  State  of  Washington ;  Sublimity  College,  Oregon ; 
Central  College,  Kansas ;  Gould  College,  at  Harlan,  Kan- 
sas, merged  into  Lecompton  ;  Gibbon  Institute,  at  Gibbon, 
Nebraska,  moved  to  York  and  reorganized  as  York 
College ;  North  Manchester  College,  North  Manchester, 
Indiana. 

The  Rufus  Clark  and  Wife  Training  School  in  Africa 
has  been  described  on  page  445. 


CHAPTER  VI 

UNION  BIBLICAL  SEMINARY 
I.      THE    FOUNDING. 

It  is  a  somewhat  remarkable  fact  that  the  successors  of 
Otterbein,  a  man  of  broad  and  generous  learning,  should 
have  been  for  a  series  of  years  averse  to  trusting  the 
ministry  with  a  liberal  education.  It  was  not  until  nearly 
a  third  of  a  century  after  the  death  of  Otterbein  that  the 
first  movement  was  made  toward  establishing  an  institution 
of  learning  for  the  Church,  and  then  twenty-four  more 
years  passed  before  steps  were  taken  toward  the  foundino- 
of  a  theological  seminary.  Meanwhile,  some  of  the  more 
wakeful  young  men  sought  for  an  education  elsewhere, 
and  when  United  Brethren  colleges  began  to  be  built  a 
considerable  number  of  the  graduates  who  were  candidates 
for  the  ministry  sought  for  a  theological  education  in  the 
institutions  of  other  churches.  And  thus  the  Church, 
through  neglect  to  provide  the  means  of  theological  train- 
ing, sustained  material  loss,  since  there  was  a  constant 
temptation  to  young  men  educated  in  the  schools  of  other 
denominations  to  form  permanent  attachments  elsewhere 
than  in  the  old  home. 

The  General  Conference  of  1865  took  action  recommend- 
ing special  biblical  studies  in  the  colleges,  but  no  speaker 
on  the  floor  of  that  Conference  even  suggested  that  any 
further  step  be  taken.  In  the  General  Conference  of  1869, 
at  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  the  Committee  on  Education 
presented  in  their  report  the  following  resolution  : 

523 


524  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

That  we  recommend  to  those  having  the  care  of  our  institutions 
of  learning  the  propriety  of  increasing  the  facilities  for  biblical 
instruction,  especially  for  the  benefit  of  young  men  preparing  for 
the  ministry. 

This  proposition  was  opposed  by  Eev.  H.  Garst  and  Rev. 
W.  J.  Shuey,  of  the  Miami  Conference,  on  the  ground  that 
if  adopted  it  would  defeat  itself.  Mr.  Garst  held  that 
under  this  recommendation  every  college  in  the  Church 
would  soon  be  attempting  to  give  theological  instruction, 
and  that  failure  must  necessarily  follow.  He  expressed 
himself  in  favor  of  concentration,  and  that  the  conference 
might  "give  its  voice  in  favor  of  one  or  two  thorough 
biblical  institutions."  Mr.  Shuey  followed  with  a  strong 
speech  urging  that  the  time  had  fully  come  for  the  Church 
to  take  an  advance  step,  and  proceed  to  build  and  equip 
one  thorough  theological  seminary.  He  closed  by  moving 
to  send  back  the  resolution  to  the  Committee  on  Educa- 
tion, with  instructions  to  report  to  the  conference  a  plan 
for  the  founding  of  such  an  institution,  to  be  under  the 
control  and  direction  of  the  General  Conference.  In  due 
time  the  committee  laid  before  the  conference  the  following 
resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Education  be  instructed  to  de\ise 
and  adopt  a  plan  for  the  founding  of  a  biblical  institute,  to  be  under 
the  control  of  the  General  Conference;  and  said  board  is  hereby 
instructed  and  empowered  to  take  measures  to  raise  funds  and  locate 
said  institution,  and  to  proceed  with  its  establishment  as  soon  as 
practicable. 

The  resolution  was  with  great  unanimity  adopted. 

The  Board  of  Education  appointed  by  this  conference 
consisted  of  Revs.  Lewis  Davis,  D.D.,  Daniel  Shuck,  W.  C. 
Smith,  M.  AVright,  E.  B.  Kephart,  D.  Eberly,  S.  Weaver, 
P.  B.  Lee,  AY.  S.  Titus,  and  E.  Light.  At  a  meeting  of 
this  board,  held  on  July  27,  1870,  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  it 
was  determined  to  proceed  with  the  work  of  founding  a 


UNION  BIBLICAL  SEMINARY  525 

theological  seminary,  as  directed  by  the  General  Confer- 
ence;  also,  that  the  seminary  be  located  at  the  city  of 
Dayton.  It  was  also  decided  that  the  institution  should 
be  named  Union  Biblical  Seminary.  It  is  a  fact  well 
remembered  that  the  name  "Biblical"  was  chosen  rather 
than  "Theological,"  in  deference  to  the  prejudice  which 
still  existed  in  some  quarters  against  a  "theological"  edu- 
cation, or  against  "preacher  factories,"  as  some  were  pleased 
to  call  theological  seminaries.  The  prefix  "Union"  was 
adopted  as  expressing  the  fact  that  the  Church  through- 
out all  its  conferences  was  expected  to  unite  its  interest 
in  this  one  theological  seminary.  It  was  further  deter- 
mined at  this  session  of  the  board  to  make  an  appeal  to 
the  Church  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
for  the  founding  of  the  school.  In  choosing  the  location 
the  board  was  influenced  by  the  belief  at  that  time  that 
Dayton  presented,  all  things  considered,  the  greatest  num- 
ber of  advantages.  The  reader  will  notice  that  no  resi- 
dent of  Dayton,  or  of  the  Miami  Conference,  was  a 
member  of  the  board,  and  that  only  one  of  the  number 
resided  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

The  board  met  in  a  second  session,  again  at  Dayton,  on 
August  2,  1871.  It  was  decided  at  this  meeting  that  a 
beginning  of  work  be  made  in  the  ensuing  month  of  Octo- 
ber. Two  professors  were  elected  at  this  meeting,  leaving 
further  exigencies  to  be  provided  for.  Rev.  Lewis  Davis, 
D.D.,  president  of  Otterbein  University,  Rev.  George  A. 
Funkhouser,  A.B.,  a  graduate  of  Otterbein,  and  more 
recently  of  Western  Theological  Seminary,  at  Allegheny, 
Pennsylvania,  were  the  men  elected.  An  executive  com- 
mittee was  also  appointed,  consisting  of  Bishop  J.  J.  Gloss- 
brenner,  Dr.  L.  Davis,  and  Revs.  W.  J.  Shuey,  John  Kemp, 
D.  K.  Flickinger,  D.  Berger,  and  IMilton  Wright.  The 
committee  soon  afterward  arranged  with  Rev.  J.  P.  Landis, 


526  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

A.B.,  who  had  just  been  appointed  pastor  of  the  Summit 
Street  Church,  to  do  some  work  in  the  seminary.  In  the 
division  of  the  work  Dr.  Davis  took  the  department  of 
systematic  and  pastoral  theology,  Professor  Funkhouser 
Greek  exegesis  and  biblical  and  church  history,  and  Mr. 
Landis,  who  did  not  then  hold  in  the  full  sense  the  rank 
of  a  professor,  taught  the  Hebrew  language  and  homiletics. 
Bishops  Glossbrenner,  AVeaver,  Edwards,  and  Dickson  were 
chosen  as  a  "board  of  supervision."  The  day  for  opening 
as  set  by  the  Board  of  Education  w^as  the  11th  of  October, 
and  on  this  day  eleven  persons  presented  themselves  as 
students. 

II.       GRADUATES. 

Three  years  after  the  opening  eight  persons  were  gradu- 
ated. From  the  opening  to  the  present  writing,  January, 
1897,  there  have  been  in  attendance  at  the  seminary 
upward  of  four  hundred  students.  Two  hundred  and 
four  of  this  number  have  graduated.  Of  the  graduates 
one  hundred  and  sixty-one  are  in  the  Christian  ministry, 
three  are  foreign  missionaries,  ten  are  teachers,  twenty 
are  in  other  professions,  ten  have  died.  Nine  others,  six 
of  them  graduates,  have  been  in  the  foreign  field  as  mis- 
sionaries. Two  of  the  graduates  are  presidents  of  colleges, 
two  are  professors  in  the  seminary,  four  are  professors  in 
colleges,  one  is  associate  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope^ 
one  is  editor  of  the  Quarterly  Revieiv,  one  is  editor  of  the 
Watchwordj  six  are  presiding  elders,  while  many  others  are 
filling  some  of  the  most  important  pulpits  of  the  Church. 
The  work  of  the  graduates  of  the  seminary  is  making  itself 
widely  felt  in  the  increased  intelligence,  enterprise,  and 
activity  of  the  denomination,  as  also  in  the  higher  standard 
of  qualification  for  the  pulpit  which  is  gradually  being 
demanded  by  the  people. 


UNION  BIBLICAL  SEMINAR  Y  527 

III.       ADMISSION   OF    WOMEN. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact,  which  history  should  record, 
that  in  the  schedule  of  rules  adopted  at  the  first  for  the 
government  of  the  seminary  there  was  one  which  jiro- 
vided  for  the  admission  of  women  on  the  same  conditions 
as  men  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  seminary.  The  measure 
was  opposed  by  some  who  were  reluctant  to  see  the  semi- 
nary taking  an  anomalous  position  among  institutions  of 
its  kind,  and  who  held  to  a  modern  application  of  the 
words,  "But  I  suff*er  not  a  woman  to  teach."  But  the 
wisdom  of  the  provision  was  vindicated  when,  some  years 
later,  young  women  expecting  to  become  missionaries  to 
the  foreign  field,  or  workers  at  home,  came  knocking  at 
the  doors  of  the  institution.  In  many  cases  wives  of  stu- 
dents have  entered  the  seminary,  taking  more  or  less 
work  along  with  their  husbands.  Since  the  founding  of 
the  school  thirty-two  women  have  been  admitted  to  study, 
and  eleven  have  regularly  graduated.  The  results  of  the 
experiment  have  been  so  satisfactory  that  the  question 
of  admitting  women  to  the  full  privilege  of  the  seminary 
courses  has  ceased  to  be  an  open  one. 

IV.       THE    FACULTY. 

Dr.  L.  Davis  continued  at  the  head  of  the  faculty  until 
188G,  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  when  on  account  of  age 
he  was  relieved  of  the  duties  of  a  regular  chair,  and  was 
elected  emeritus  professor  and  lecturer,  which  position  he 
retained  until  his  death  in  March,  1890.  Dr.  Funkhouser, 
on  the  retirement  of  Dr.  Davis,  was  elected  senior  pro- 
fessor, which  relation  he  still  sustains.  In  1874  Rev.  R. 
Wahl,  a  scholarly  German,  who  had  been  for  some  time 
connected  with  Drew  Theological  Seminary,  was  elected 
to  the  chair  of  Hebrew  exegesis  and  church  history. 
He  served  one  year.     In  1875  Rev.  George  Keister,  A.B., 


528  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

a  graduate  of  Otterbeiu  University  and  of  the  School  of 
Theology  in  Boston  University,  was  elected  to  the  chair 
of  Hebrew  exegesis  and  biblical  history.  In  May,  1880, 
Professor  Keister  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  church  his- 
tory, and  Rev.  J.  P.  Landis,  A.M.,  a  graduate  of  Otterbein 
University  and  of  Lane  Theological  Seminary,  to  the  chair 
of  Hebrew  exegesis  and  pastoral  theology.  Professor  Keis- 
ter died  suddenly  in  August,  1880.  Rev.  A.  W.  Drury,  a 
graduate  of  Western  College  and  of  Union  Biblical  Semi- 
nary, was  then  elected  to  the  chair  of  church  history.  In 
May,  1890,  J.  W.  Etter,  D.D.,  a  graduate  of  Lebanon  Valley 
College  and  of  Drew  Theological  Seminary,  and  at  the 
time  editor  of  the  United  Brethren  Quarterly  Preview,  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  systematic  theology.  Two  years 
later,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he  resigned  this  position. 
His  death  occurred  in  March,  1895.  In  May,  1893,  Rev. 
S.  D.  Faust,  A.M.,  a  graduate  of  Lebanon  Valley  College 
and  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  was  elected  to  the  then 
vacant  chair  of  church  history.  The  faculty  now  stands  : 
George  A.  Funkhouser,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  senior  professor,  with 
the  chair  of  Greek  exegesis  and  homiletics  ;  J.  P.  Landis, 
D.D.,  Ph.D.,  professor  of  Old  Testament  theology  and 
exegesis ;  A.  W.  Drury,  D.D.,  professor  of  systematic 
theology  ;  S.  D.  Faust,  D.D.,  professor  of  church  history  ; 
Wilbur  C.  Kennedy,  B.S.,  professor  of  elocution  and  ora- 
tory. 

The  fewness  of  the  changes  which  have  occurred  in  the 
faculty  in  the  quarter  of  a  century  of  the  seminary's 
existence  indicates  alike  the  conservative  policy  which 
has  governed  the  management  of  tlie  institution  and  the 
satisfactory  character  of  the  work  done.  Only  nine  men 
have  been  professors  from  the  beginning,  three  of  whom 
are  deceased. 


John  Kemp. 


UNION  BIBLICAL  SEMINAR  Y  529 

V.       BUILDING    AND    FINANCES. 

For  a  period  of  eight  years  the  seminary  was  without 
a  building,  the  rooms  of  the  Summit  Street  Church  being 
used  for  recitation  purposes.  In  the  summer  of  1879  the 
present  building  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  about  twelve 
thousand  dollars.  The  handsome  grounds  connected  with 
the  seminary,  comprising  a  tract  of  about  four  acres,  were 
the  generous  gift  of  the  late  Rev.  John  Kemp.  The  land, 
lying  within  the  city,  and  valued  at  that  time  at  ten 
thousand  dollars,  is  now  surrounded  with  houses,  and  is 
at  the  present  time  worth  several  times  the  above  amount. 
Mr.  Kemp  was  one  of  the  warmest  friends  of  the  seminary, 
and  was  for  several  years  its  financial  manager. 

During  the  years  in  which  the  seminary  was  without 
a  building  and  without  endowment,  the  current  expenses 
were  provided  for  by  annual  contributions  from  its  friends. 
These  gifts,  however,  were  insufficient  for  the  purpose,  and 
a  heavy  debt  was  in  time  accumulated.  This  has  recently 
been  fully  provided  for  by  the  raising  of  a  fund  of  sixty 
thousand  dollars.  The  endowment  of  the  institution,  in 
money  paid  in  and  secured  notes,  has  reached  the  grati- 
fying figure  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
dollars.  The  seminary  property,  including  the  grounds, 
is  valued  at  forty-one  thousand  dollars,  the  library  at 
three  thousand  dollars. 

The  financial  managers  of  the  institution  have  been  Eev. 
John  Kemp,  Rev.  S.  M.  Hippard,  W.  J.  Pruner,  D.D., 
Mr.  S.  L.  Herr,  and  D.  R.  Miller,  D.D.  All  these  men 
performed  good  service  for  the  seminary,  but  it  is  no 
injustice  to  any  of  them  to  say  that  Dr.  Miller  has  excelled. 
His  term  of  service  began  in  1885.  His  last  achievement 
is  that  of  raising,  through  persistent  and  wisely  directed 
effort,  the  "silver  anniversary"  fund  of  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars.    The  amount  was  exceeded  ])v  one  thousand  dollars. 


3-1 


530  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  seminary,  small  in  its  beginnings,  has  gradually 
risen  to  a  position  of  honor.  The  work  it  has  done  has 
already  proved  a  blessing  above  estimate  to  the  Church, 
and  it  starts  upon  its  second  quarter  of  a  century  with  rich 
opportunity  for  future  success.  Its  needs  are  keeping  pace 
with  its  growth,  and  doubtless  the  Lord  will  raise  up 
friends  for  it  to  further  provide  for  all  exigencies,  and  so 
augment  its  power  for  good. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION 

The  General  Conference  of  1869,  which  took  the  initia- 
tory steps  toward  founding  a  theological  seminary,  gave 
further  proof  of  its  progressive  spirit  by  creating  for  the 
Church  a  general  Board  of  Education.  The  need  of  a 
central  advisory  board  which  should  have  a  general  over- 
sight over  the  educational  work,  began  to  be  emphasized 
by  several  considerations,  among  them  that  of  the  tendency 
toward  a  too  rapid  multiplication  of  colleges.  The  reader 
has  already  seen  that  when  once  the  educational  wave  was 
started  it  swept  with  great  force  through  the  Church. 
Under  this  impulse  more  colleges  were  in  process  of  form- 
ing than  the  church  membership  justified,  or  than  could 
possibly  be  financially  supported,  and  it  required  no  pro- 
found foresight  to  perceive  that  unless  the  movement  could 
be  placed  under  restraint  not  many  years  would  pass 
before  the  Church  would  have  a  number  of  deeply  em- 
barrassed colleges. 

But  a  further  purpose  in  the  organization  of  the  Board 
of  Education  was  to  secure  homogeneity  in  the  work  of 
the  several  colleges  of  the  Church.  It  was  apparent  that 
institutions  geographically  widely  separated  would  soon 
differ  widely  in  character  unless  some  common  bond  of 
union  to  hold  them  in  closer  relation  to  each  other  could 
be  devised.  It  was  also  provided  that  reports  on  the 
condition  of  the  various  colleges  and  other  educational 
institutions  of  the  Cliurcli  should  be  made  quadrennially 
to  the  General  Conference,  with  such  recommendations  as 


r^ii 


532  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  board  might  see  proper  to  offer.  It  was  not  deemed 
necessary  to  place  extended  financial  responsibility  with 
the  board,  since  the  boards  of  trustees  of  the  various 
institutions  have  control  of  the  department  of  finance  for 
their  schools  respectively.  The  board  is  instructed,  how- 
ever, to  provide  and  manage  a  loan  fund  for  the  benefit 
of  students  needing  aid  in  pursuing  their  course  in  col- 
lege or  the  theological  seminary.  The  board  consists  of 
twelve  members,  six  of  whom  are  required  by  the  Dis- 
cipline to  be  ministers,  and  six  of  whom  may  be  laymen. 
The  service  of  the  board  in  unifying  and  promoting 
the  general  educational  work  of  the  Church  has  attained 
a  greater  value  than  is  generally  perceived.  Some  of  the 
quadrennial  reports  to  the  General  Conference  have  been 
extended  discussions  of  the  general  field  of  higher  edu- 
cation, and  ought  to  have  a  wide  reading  among  the 
people  of  the  Church.  The  board  holds  its  meetings 
annually. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK 
I.       A   VIEW    OF    THE    EARLIER    WORK. 

It  will  probably  remain  always  impossible  to  determine 
when  the  first  distinctively  United  Brethren  Sunday  school 
was  organized.  Most  of  the  early  Sunday  schools  in 
America,  and  in  England  as  well,  were  not  conducted 
under  denominational  auspices.  The  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  organized  in  1824,  consisting  of  represen- 
tatives of  various  denominations,  was  for  many  years  the 
dominating  organized  agency  in  the  American  Sunday- 
school  work,  and  under  its  influence,  and  by  the  direct 
activities  of  its  Sunday-school  missionaries,  the  early  schools 
of  the  country  were  widely  conducted  on  the  union  plan. 
The  union  is  still  a  strong  organization,  and  is  performing 
a  large  work  in  the  Sunday-school  field,  but  with  the  later 
rapid  growth  of  the  denominational  agencies  the  place 
of  the  union  holds  a  diminished  relation.  The  earliest 
Sunday-school  union  formed  in  America  was  organized 
in  Philadelphia  in  1791,  under  the  name  of  "First-Day 
or  Sunday-School  Society."  The  date  of  its  organization 
was  twelve  years  before  the  first  Sunday  school  was 
organized  in-  the  city  of  New  York.  The  New  York 
Sunday-School  Union  was  organized  in  1816,  and  the 
Massachusetts  Sunday-School  Union  in  1825.  Several 
other  unions  were  organized,  generally  of  a  local  character. 
In  Great  Britain,  the  early  home  of  the  modern  Sunday 
school,   the    London    Sunday-School    Society    was    organ- 

.533 


534  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ized  in  September,  1795,  under  the  management  of  an 
equal  number  of  Churchmen  and  Dissenters.  This  was 
succeeded  in  July,  1803,  by  the  London  Sunday-School 
Union,  which  continues  to  hold  in  the  work  in  England 
the  relatively  prominent  position  once  held  by  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union  in  the  United  States.  In  distinc- 
tively denominational  work  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  early  in  the  field  in  the  United  States,  its  Sunday- 
school  union  having  been  organized  in  1827.  The  Con- 
gregational Church  followed  in  1832.  The  admirable 
Sunda^^-school  organization  of  tlie  United  Brethren  Church, 
which  has  done  so  much  to  quicken  interest  and  activity 
in  the  Sunday-school  work,  was  deferred  to  a  time  over 
thirty  years  after  the  later  one  of  these  dates,  but  the  dis- 
tinct denominational  schools  were  everywhere  familiar  long 
before.  The  Cliurch  in  its  earlier  years,  as  has  been  seen 
in  these  pages,  was  disinclined  to  gather  up  statistics,  and 
even  records  were  often  not  carefully  preserved. 

To  say  that  Sunday  schools  were  to  any  considerable 
extent  organized  from  early  dates,  w^ould  be  to  assume 
what  was  not  generally  true  among  the  Christian  denomi- 
nations. But  there  are  evidences  that  religious  education 
of  the  children  received  early  attention,  and  the  Sunday 
schools  seem  to  have  sprung  up  as  they  did  among  the 
people  of  other  churches.  Mr.  Otterbein,  in  his  own 
church  in  Baltimore,  seems  to  have  preserved  the  meth- 
ods familiar  to  him  earher  in  the  Reformed  Cliurch.  In 
the  schedule  of  rules  drawn  up  by  him  in  1785  for  the 
government  of  the  pastors  and  people  of  that  church 
he  placed  this  among  the  duties  of  the  pastors:  "The 
preacher  shall  make  it  one  of  his  highest  duties  to  watch 
over  the  rising  youth,  diligently  instructing  them  in  the 
principles  of  religion,  according  to  the  AVord  of  God.  He 
sliould  catechise  them  once  a  week  ;  and  the  more  maturr 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WOBK  535 

in  years,  who  have  obtained  a  knowledge  of  the  great 
truths  of  the  gospel,  should  be  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  striving,  through  divine  grace,  to  become 
worthy  recipients  of  the  holy  sacrament.  And,  in  view 
of  church  membership,  such  as  manifest  a  desire  to  this 
end  should  be  thoroughly  instructed  for  a  time,  be 
examined  in  the  presence  of  their  parents  and  the  vestry, 
and,  if  approved,  after  the  preparation  sermon,  they  should 
be  presented  before  the  church  and  admitted."  Dr.  Drury, 
who  has  made  a  very  careful  study  of  Otterbein's  life  and 
times,  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Otterbein's  frequent  visits  to 
different  places  in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Virginia, 
says  that  "even  before  1800  he  established  Sunday  schools 
and  prayer-meetings  in  connection  with  these  extended 
labors."^  There  is  little  probability  that  these  Sunday 
schools  possessed  to  any  marked  degree  the  characteristics 
of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  present  time.  But  this  remark 
would  apply  equally  to  the  Robert  Raikes  and  many  other 
schools  of  that  period.  The  object  seems  to  have  been 
definite  religious  teaching  for  the  young,  without  organi- 
zation into  classes,  the  ministers  or  teachers  using  such 
skill  in  the  work  as  they  possessed.  About  this  same 
time  J.  G.  Pfrimmer  was  engaged  in  sunilar  work  of 
teaching  the  children,  as  is  indicated  in  an  entry  in 
Newcomer's  Journal,  dated  May  21,  1800.  "To-day,"  he 
says,  "I  came  to  Brother  Pfrimmer's.  About  thirty  chil- 
dren had  assembled  at  his  house,  to  whom  he  was  giving 
religious  instruction.  Some  were  under  conviction.  I  also 
spoke  to  them.  Their  hearts  were  sensibly  touched.  May 
the  Lord  convert  them  truly."- 

There  is  no  evidence  now  available  that  these  schools 
continued  through  to  the  period  when  the  more  modern 
form  of  the  Sunday  school  became  common.     But  there  are 

1  Life  of  Otterbein,  p.  24S.  «  Newcomer's  Journal,  p.  67. 


536  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

evidences  that  some  schools  of  a  Liter  type  were  established 
at  early  dates.  One  of  these  was  organized  in  Otterbein's 
church  in  Baltimore.  Of  this  Col.  Robert  Cowden,  general 
Sunday-school  secretary  for  the  United  Brethren  Church, 
in  an  article  in  the  Quarterly  Review  for  April,  1893,  says  : 
"The  first  United  Brethren  Sunday  school  in  Baltimore 
was  estabhshed  in  the  old  Otterbein  Church  in  1S27.  Rev. 
William  Numsen,  a  man  prominent  in  business  as  in 
religious  circles  in  Baltimore,  the  last  known  charter 
member  of  that  school,  then  a  pupil,  but  afterward  for 
many  years  superintendent,  died  but  recently  at  the  age 
of  ninety  years.  From  his  lips  Brother  Jacob  Knipp,  of 
Baltimore,  a  later  member  of  the  same  school,  obtained 
many  very  interesting  facts  about  the  original  organization 
of  that  school,  which  he  gave  to  the  readers  of  the 
Telescope  a  few  years  ago."  Another  school,  preceding  by 
several  years  that  in  Baltimore,  was  organized  in  a  United 
Brethren  church  near  Corydon,  Indiana,  its  date  being 
1820. 

The  General  Conference  of  1837  was  the  first  to  take 
official  recognition  of  the  duty  of  the  ministry  to  instruct 
the  children  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  The  clause 
enforcing  this  duty  is  a  very  earnest  expression,  but  Sun- 
day schools  as  such  are  not  mentioned.  The  same  is  true 
of  the  succeeding  General  Conferences  up  to  1849.  In 
the  Book  of  Discipline  as  revised  by  this  conference  there 
is  a  distinct  and  strong  utterance.     The  conference  said  : 

Whereas,  The  Sabbath-school  institution  is  in  every  way  worthy 
of  our  highest  regard  and  untiring  efforts  to  promote  as  a  branch 
of  the  Christian  church  ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  labor  to  have  8abbath  schools  organized 
throughout  the  Church. 

Resolved,  That  all  our  ministers,  both  itinerant  and  otherwise, 
do  all  consistently  in  their  power  to  organize  Sabbath  schools  in 
our  societies  wherever  practicable. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WOEK  537 

Resolved,  That  our  Priuting  Establishmeut  furnish  the  Church, 
as  soou  as  practicable,  with  books  of  suitable  character  for  Sabbath 
schools. 

This  was  an  expression  so  vigorous  and  direct  as  to 
seem  in  tone  quite  modern.  The  conference  of  1853,  how- 
ever, went  quite  beyond  this,  and  placed  upon  the  ministers 
about  every  duty  that  is  now  laid  down.  It  required  that 
they  preach  each  year  at  each  appointment  a  sermon  on 
the  importance  of  the  Sunday-school  work,  that  they  use 
all  proper  means  to  organize  schools  and  collect  funds 
for  the  purchase  of  libraries,  and  collect  and  report  to  the 
annual  conference  full  statistics  pertaining  to  the  schools. 
All  this  meant  indeed  a  very  effective  organization  of  the 
work.  A  further  step  in  1857  was  to  connect  the  Sunday 
schools  of  the  Church  with  the  Home,  Frontier,  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  to  provide  for  weekly 
collections  for  the  society. 

II.       A    GENERAL    ORGANIZATION. 

Notwithstanding  the  lateness  of  the  General  Conference 
in  taking  official  action  relating  to  this  department  of  work, 
the  work  itself  was  going  right  on.  Many  of  the  ministers 
and  teachers  were  interested,  and  schools  were  being 
organized  and  instruction  was  being  conducted  after  the 
methods  of  that  time.  But  the  time  for  advanced  action 
came  at  last.  In  May,  1865,  Rev.  Isaac  Crouse,  of  the 
Sandusky  Annual  Conference,  presented  to  the  General 
Conference,  at  Western,  Iowa,  a  carefully  laid  plan  for  a 
general  organization  of  the  Sunday-school  work  of  the 
Church.  The  organization  was  called  the  "Sabbath-School 
Association  of  the  United  Brethren  Church."  The  con- 
stitution and  rules,  or  by-laws,  as  arranged  by  Mr.  Crouse, 
provided  for  a  general  superintendent,  a  secretary,  a  treas- 
urer, and  a  publication  committee,  and  included  plans  for 


538  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

raising  funds  for  book  publication  purposes  and  for  assist- 
ing needy  schools,  and  for  organizing  distinctively  United 
Brethren  schools.  The  whole  paper  was  adopted,  with 
scarcely  a  suggestion  of  amendment,  and  Mr.  Grouse  was 
himself  immediately  chosen  to  the  office  of  general  secre- 
tary. Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey  was  elected  general  superintendent, 
and  Mr.  J.  B.  King  treasurer.  The  latter,  resigning  soon 
afterward,  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Solomon  Vonnieda.  Each 
of  these  men  continued  in  office  twelve  years.  In  1869, 
after  an  experience  of  four  years,  the  constitution  of  the 
association  was  materially  changed,  since  which  time  it 
has  remained  substantially  the  same. 

This  forward  step  grew  rapidly  in  favor  with  the  people, 
and  after  a  few  years  funds  came  liberally  into  the  treasury. 
One-fourth  of  these,  under  the  earlier  provisions  of  the 
constitution,  might  be  devoted  to  book  publication,  and 
in  1874  this  work  was  begun.  The  Pioneer  Library,  con- 
sisting of  ten  volumes,  was  first  issued,  and  further  work 
was  undertaken ;  but  the  sales  not  being  sufficient  to 
justify  publication,  this  feature  of  the  work  was  discon- 
tinued. Three-fourths  of  the  money  thus  contributed  was 
appropriated  for  Sunday-school  supplies  for  needy  schools. 

The  Chautauqua  Assembly  movement,  organized  in 
1874,  which  at  first  contemplated  the  better  equipment 
of  Sunday-school  teachers  for  their  work,  attracted  from 
the  beginning  the  favorable  attention  of  teachers  in  the 
United  Brethren  Church,  and  some  of  them  received  their 
diplomas  with  the  first  classes  graduating  from  its  depart- 
ment of  normal  instruction.  In  1886  the  Sunday-School 
Board,  believing  that  a  larger  number  of  our  teachers 
could  be  enlisted  through  a  denominational  organization, 
formed  the  Bible  Normal  Union.  The  board  was  not 
mistaken  in  this.  The  number  taking  the  courses  of  les- 
sons was  o:i*eatlv  increased.     The  courses  were  substantiallv 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL  WORK  539 

the  same,  and  by  arrangement  with  the  Chautauqua 
authorities  teachers  completing  the  Bible  Normal  Union 
course  were  entitled  to  receive  the  Chautau([ua  normal 
diploma,  as  well  as  the  handsome  diploma  awarded  by 
our  own  board. 

From  1877  Col.  Robert  Cowden,  who  had  been  elected 
by  the  General  Conference  as  general  secretary,  was 
employed  by  the  board  to  give  all  his  time  to  the 
Sunday-school  work.  Much  attention  was  given  by  him 
to  holding  Sunday-school  institutes,  assisting  in  Sunday- 
school  conventions,  and  delivering  addresses  on  various 
phases  of  the  work.  These  labors,  extended  widely  through 
the  Church,  proved  highly  useful  in  helping  to  stimulate 
teachers  to  higher  ambitions  in  seeking  for  better  qualifi- 
cations and  for  larger  results  from  their  work.  Several 
assemblies  on  a  larger  scale  were  attempted,  but  these 
proving  financially  unsuccessful,  eff'orts  in  that  direction 
were  abandoned. 

In  1881  a  Home  Reading  Circle  was  organized,  upon 
the  general  plan  of  the  Chautauqua  Literary  and  Scien- 
tific Circle.  This  was  done  in  the  belief  that  success 
would  attend  it  similar  to  that  reached  by  the  Bible 
Normal  Union.  This  hope  was  disappointed,  and,  after 
six  years  of  trial,  it  was  abandoned,  and  our  peoi)le 
were  counseled  to  cooperate  with  the  Chautauqua  Read- 
ing Circle. 

A  better  experiment  was  tried  when  it  was  decided,  in 
1890,  to  offer  questions  on  the  International  lessons.  The 
arrangement  has  met  with  wide  favor,  and  the  results 
are  highly  satisfactory  to  those  who  have  taken  the  exam- 
inations. 

The  Home  Department  for  the  study  of  the  Sunday- 
school  lessons  has  received  favorable  attention  among 
our   people,   and    numerous   successful   classes   have   been 


540  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

organized.  Considerable  numbers  of  persons  who  cannot 
attend  the  schools  are  thus  brought  into  living  touch 
with  them,  and  receive  many  of  the  benefits  the  school 
itself  bestows. 

The  publication  of  Sunday-school  literature,  such  as 
lesson  helps,  song-books,  and  other  supplies,  does  not  come 
under  the  direction  of  the  Sunday-School  Board,  but  has 
from  the  first  been  a  part  of  the  business  of  the  general 
Publishing  House.  These  forms  of  literature,  already 
spoken  of  in  these  pages,  have  uniformly  met  with  hearty 
acceptance  by  the  people  of  our  Sunday  schools  and 
Church,  as  well  as  among  people  of  other  denominations, 
their  circulation  being  larger  than  our  schools  could  use. 
They  are  prepared  in  the  English  and  German  languages. 

The  United  Brethren  Church  has  kept  in  close  touch 
with  the  great  union  movements  of  the  Sunday-school 
world.  When  the  International  Lesson  system  was  inau- 
gurated in  June,  1872,  to  begin  its  first  lesson  course  with 
January,  1873,  our  Publishing  House  began  at  once  the 
preparation  for  it,  and  issued  its  first  lessons  with  the 
beginning  of  the  course.  Our  Church  has  had  a  repre- 
sentative on  the  International  Lesson  Committee  since 
1884,  Bishop  Kephart  being  the  representative  since  June, 
1896.  Colonel  Cowden,  our  Sunday-school  secretary,  was 
for  fifteen  years  a  member  of  the  International  Executive 
Committee. 

The  activity  of  our  people  in  the  Sunday  school  is 
perhaps  fairly  indicated  by  the  annual  statistics.  In  the 
Year-book  for  1897,  the  statistics  for  1896  show  an  enroll- 
ment of  officers,  teachers,  and  scholars,  of  290,861.  The 
membership  of  the  Church  as  reported  for  the  same  year 
is  238,782,  the  Sunday-school  enrollment  being  in  excess 
52,079. 


CHAPTER   IX 
THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  CHRISTIAN  UNION 

I.       ORGANIZATION. 

The  nineteenth  century  has  become  noted  for  its  pro- 
duction and  development  of  the  great  organized  agencies 
which  have  given  such  vast  impulse  to  the  advance  of 
Christianity.  Among  these  are  the  great  Bible  societies, 
American  and  foreign,  the  numerous  home  and  foreign 
missionary  societies,  American  and  European,  the  phe- 
nomenal expansion  of  the  Sunday-school  work,  the  found- 
ing of  great  Christian  publishing  houses,  denominational 
and  undenominational,  the  building  up  of  distinctively 
Christian  institutions  of  learning,  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association,  the  Woman's  Christian  Association,  the 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  and  the  National  and 
the  International  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 
Some  of  these  agencies  lap  over  a  little  way  into  the 
preceding  century,  but  their  great  development  belongs 
to  the  century  now  nearing  its  close.  In  these  respects 
the  activities  of  the  Christian  church  have  fully  kept 
pace  with  the  expansion  in  other  fields  of  progress,  as 
in  discovery,  invention,  and  the  application  of  scientific 
principles  to  the  various  industries. 

It  was  reserved  for  the  latter  part  of  the  century  to  give 
birth  and  development  to  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  all  the  Christian  agencies,  known  by  the  comprehensive 
name,  "the  young  people's  movement."  This  movement 
sprang  up  here  and  there  in  sporadic  organizations,  with- 

541 


542  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

out  connection  with  organizations  of  a  like  kind.  Among 
these  was  one  formed  as  early  as  1867,  in  Dr.  Theodore 
L.  Cuyler's  church  in  Brooklyn,  called  a  "Young  People's 
Association,"  and  embodying  some  of  the  principal  features 
now  pertaining  to  the  movement.  Only  a  little  later,  in 
the  year  1871,  a  similar  organization  was  formed  in  the 
First  United  Brethren  Church,  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  This 
was  at  first  an  association  for  young  men  only,  but  a  few 
years  later  it  was  broadened  in  its  character  so  as  to  em- 
brace also  young  women.  The  organization  thus  founded 
became  the  pioneer  of  many  similar  organizations  through- 
out the  Church.  In  various  other  churches  organizations 
of  a  like  kind  were  formed. 

As  the  years  passed,  the  time  came  when  these  numerous 
societies  and  others  in  process  of  forming  were  to  be  gath- 
ered together  into  a  great  national  organization,  as  the 
Sunday  schools  of  the  nation  and  of  the  world  have 
found  a  common  bond  in  the  international  movement. 
For  this  end  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  raise  up  Dr.  Francis 
E.  Clark,  of  Portland,  Maine.  He  organized  in  his  cliurch 
a  society  of  young  people,  without  any  thought  at  the  first 
that  the  work  in  his  local  congregation  should  presently 
become  the  means  of  giving  an  impetus  to  a  movement 
that  should  become  so  vast  in  its  extent.  This  local  organ- 
ization was  called  the  "Young  People's  Society  of  Christian 
Endeavor."  It  has  several  special  characteristics.  Its  aim 
was  distinctly  Christian.  It  required  a  pledge  of  definite 
service.  It  appointed  stated  meetings  for  consecration,  and 
it  divided  its  work  among  special  committees.  An  account 
of  the  society  appeared  in  a  religious  newspaper,  and 
through  this  other  churches  were  led  to  adopt  the  same 
plan.  Thus  in  a  short  time  the  societies  multiplied 
among  the  different  denominations,  and  these  were  after- 
ward gathered  together  under  a  common  bond,  and  known 


THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  CHRISTIAN  UNION         543 

by  the  name  at  first  given  to  the  society  in  Dr.  Clark's 
church.  Dr.  Clark  was  chosen  as  president  of  the  united 
movement,  and  probably  no  wiser  choice  could  have  been 
made. 

But  meanwhile  there  were  those  in  the  various  denomi- 
nations who  were  persuaded  that  their  young  people  could 
be  best  instructed,  and  their  denominational  loyalty  best 
preserved,  by  the  organization  of  unions  under  their  own 
care  and  direction.  And  among  several  of  the  great 
denominations  such  unions  have  been  formed,  as  the 
Epworth  League  of  the  Methodist  churches,  the  Baptist 
Young  People's  Christian  Union,  and  so  on.  In  the  United 
Brethren  Church  the  local  societies  were  at  first  gathered 
under  conference  direction.  In  the  Allegheny  Conference, 
for  example,  representatives  of  a  number  of  societies  organ- 
ized a  Young  People's  Christian  Association,  in  1887, 
which  in  the  following  year  became  a  conference  organiza- 
tion. In  1889  a  similar  organization  was  effected  in  the 
East  Pennsylvania  Conference,  and  in  the  same  year  the 
Miami  Conference  Young  People's  Christian  Union  was 
organized.  All  of  these  were  organized  substantially  upon 
the  plan  which  was  soon  after  adopted  for  the  whole 
Church. 

The  United  Brethren  Ministerial  Association  of  Dayton, 
Ohio,  in  its  monthly  meeting  in  April,  1890,  had  for  a 
topic,  "Should  We  Have  a  General  Organization  of  the 
Young  People's  Societies  in  Our  Church?"  It  was  formally 
discussed  by  Prof.  J.  P.  Landis,  D.D.,  and  M.  R.  Drury, 
D.D.  Dr.  Drury  read  a  carefully  prepared  ])aper  on  the 
subject,  in  which  he  recommended  the  organization  of  tlie 
young  people  of  the  denomination.  The  association  ap- 
pointed Eevs.  M.  R.  Drury,  J.  P.  Landis,  and  W.  A.  Dick- 
son a  committee  to  secure  the  indorsement  of  the  bishops 
and  to  issue  a  call  for  a  convention.     The  call,  after  reciting 


544  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

the  belief  that  the  time  had  come  for  holding  a  convention 
of  representatives  and  friends  of  the  young  people's  socie- 
ties throughout  the  United  Brethren  Church  to  organize 
a  young  people's  Christian  society  for  the  denomination 
in  harmony  with  its  spirit  and  methods  of  work,  and  that 
the  holding  of  a  convention,  affording  opportunities  for 
the  cultivation  of  a  closer  feeling  of  sympathy  among  the 
young  people,  would  awaken  a  broader  Christian  enthusi- 
asm, invited  "all  young  people's  societies  in  the  Church, 
of  whatever  kind,  to  send  delegates  to  a  general  conven- 
tion to  be  held  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  June  4  and  5,  1890,  in 
the  First  United  Brethren  Church."  All  churches  friendly 
to  the  movement  were  also  asked  to  elect  and  send  repre- 
sentatives to  the  convention. 

The  convention  met  as  called,  and  was  attended  by  about 
two  hundred  delegates,  representing  societies  and  churches 
in  nine  different  States  and  fourteen  annual  conferences. 
Representatives  of  every  department  of  church  work  were 
present  to  give  approval,  and  the  convention  was  charac- 
terized by  genuine  enthusiasm.  Prof.  J.  P.  Landis  was 
chosen  temporary  chairman,  and  Mr.  E.  W.  Runkle  tem- 
porary secretary. 

The  representatives  who  constituted  the  convention  were 
unanimous  in  their  opinion  that  there  should  be  a  general 
union  of  the  young  people's  societies  of  the  denomination, 
but  they  were  divided  as  to  what  should  be  the  name  and 
character  of  the  local  society.  Some  favored  the  adoption 
of  the  Christian  Endeavor  society  as  the  only  form  for 
local  organizations,  while  others  advocated  a  distinct  de- 
nominational plan  and  name.  After  much  discussion,  the 
Committee  on  Plan  of  Organization,  consisting  of  Mr.  E.  L. 
Shuey,  Pvev.  H.  F.  Shupe,  Rev.  L.  B.  Hix,  Mr.  W.  0.  Appen- 
zellar.  Rev.  E.  S.  Lorenz,  Rev.  AV.  0.  Fries,  and  Mr.  L.  A. 
Buchner,  was  appointed.    This  committee  reported  the  name 


THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  CHRISTIAN  UNION         545 

and  plan  of  the  "Young  People's  Christian  Union."  In 
keeping  with  the  name  and  spirit  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ,  mutual  concessions  of  opinions  were  made,  and 
the  plan  adopted  left  to  the  local  church  the  choice  of 
the  form  and  name  for  the  local  societies.  This  was  unani- 
mously adopted  with  rejoicing,  and  tlie  whole  plan  was 
received  by  the  Church  with  unanimity  and   enthusiasm. 

The  constitution  provides  for  a  general  union  of  all 
Christian  young  people's  societies  in  the  United  Brethren 
Church  to  be  under  the  direction  of  general  officers  and 
an  executive  council.  The  object  of  the  union  is  "to  unite 
the  young  people's  Christian  societies  of  the  entire  Church, 
of  whatever  name,  for  mutual  helpfulness,  for  stimulating 
church  loyalty  and  an  intelligent  interest  in  the  various 
church  enterprises,  and  for  the  organization  and  extension 
of  the  young  people's  Christian  societies  within  the 
Church."  An  organization  of  similar  character  called  a 
branch  union  is  provided  for  each  annual  conference. 
Conventions  of  the  general  union  are  held  biennially,  and 
of  the  branch  unions,  annually. 

The  officers  of  the  union  elected  at  the  time  of  its 
organization  were :  President,  Dr.  J.  P.  Landis ;  vice- 
presidents  (one  for  each  bishop's  district),  W.  0.  Appen- 
zellar,  Rev.  W.  0.  Fries,  Rev.  L.  B.  Hix,  Rev.  M.  R. 
Meyer,  Prof.  J.  A.  Sollinger ;  corresponding  secretary,  Rev. 
W.  A.  Dickson ;  recording  secretary.  Prof.  U.  D.  Runkle  ; 
treasurer,  Mrs.  R.  L.  Swain ;  executive  committee.  Prof. 
J.  P.  Landis,  Rev.  W.  A.  Dickson,  E.  L.  Shuey,  Rev.  H.  F. 
Shupe,  and  Rev.  A.  E.  Davis. 

The  executive  committee  arranged  with  the  editors  of 
the  Religious  Telescope  to  have  a  department  devoted  to 
the  Young  People's  Christian  Union,  and  Dr.  M.  R. 
Drury  was  elected  editor.  Topics  for  the  young  peo- 
ple's  prayer-meetings    and    a   badge    were    provided,    and 

35 


546  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

leaflets  were  issued.  Societies  were  at  once  organized 
throughout  the  Church,  and  at  the  annual  conferences 
succeeding  the  convention  a  number  of  branch  unions  were 
organized.  The  first  report  of  the  corresponding  secretary, 
January  1,  1891,  showed  eighty -seven  societies  enrolled 
and  nine  branch  unions. 

II.       PROGRESS    AND    WORK. 

Early  in  1892  the  executive  committee  asked  the 
societies  to  make  an  offering  for  the  missionary  work, 
and  in  conjunction  with  the  missionary  board  selected  Los 
Angeles,  California,  as  the  place  for  establishing  a  church. 
It  also  designated  the  last  Sunday  in  May  of  that  year 
as  an  anniversary  day,  or  young  people's  day,  to  be 
observed  with  special  services  and  an  offering  for  the  Los 
Angeles  mission.  At  that  anniversary  the  corresponding 
secretary  reported  two  hundred  and  ninety-five  societies. 
Sixteen  branch  unions  had  been  organized,  some  of  which 
had  held  branch  conventions. 

The  second  general  convention  was  held  at  Gallon,  Ohio, 
June  1  and  2,  1892.  It  was  attended  by  about  two  hun- 
dred delegates,  representing  eight  States  and  seventeen 
conferences.  The  number  of  societies  reported  was  448, 
with  about  22,500  members.  Twenty  branch  unions  had 
been  organized.  The  treasurer  reported  $1,359.45  received, 
of  which  $806.36  was  for  the  Los  Angeles  fund.  At  this 
convention  a  few  verbal  changes  in  the  constitution  were 
made. 

When  the  General  Conference  of  1893  met,  the  union 
numbered  559  societies,  with  23,193  members,  and  a 
memorial  was  presented,  asking  recognition  as  a  depart- 
ment of  the  Church.  The  need  of  a  young  people's  paper 
to  be  the  organ  of  the  union  was  also  felt,  and  the  General 
Conference  was  memoriahzed  to  provide  it.     Both  requests 


THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE^ S  CHRISTIAN  UNION         547 

were  granted.  The  Young  People's  Christian  Union  was 
made  a  department  of  the  Church  by  giving  it  a  place  in 
the  Discipline  and  by  constituting  the  president  of  the  local 
young  people's  society  a  member  of  the  quarterly  confer- 
ence. The  publication  of  a  paper  was  authorized  to  "repre- 
sent specifically  the  work  of  the  Young  People's  Christian 
Union,"  and  Rev.  H.  F.  Shupe  was  elected  editor.  The 
l)aper  was  named  the  Young  People's  WatcMvord,  and  the 
first  number  was  issued  September  2,  1893.  The  con- 
stitution was  so  changed  as  to  make  the  executive  com- 
mittee consist  of  nine  members,  including  the  president 
and  corresponding  secretary,  four  of  whom  are  elected  by 
the  General  Conference.  The  General  Conference  elected 
Mrs.  L.  R.  Keister,  Rev.  W.  A.  Dickson,  Rev.  M.  R.  Drury, 
and  Miss  Estelle  Krohn.  Immediately  after  the  General 
Conference  Rev.  W.  A.  Dickson  resigned  as  corresponding 
secretary,  and  the  editor  of  the  young  people's  paper  was 
elected  to  that  office. 

The  general  convention  of  1894  was  held  at  Elkhart, 
Indiana,  June  21-24.  An  attendance  of  eight  hundred 
people  from  fifteen  States  and  thirty-three  conferences, 
including  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  (Iiurch,  made  it  the 
largest  and  most  representative  gathering  ever  held  in  the 
Church.  At  this  convention  thirty-three  branch  organiza- 
tions were  reported,  and  the  number  of  societies  was  1,062, 
including  forty-nine  Junior  societies.  The  number  of  mem- 
bers was  48,615,  including  2,099  Juniors.  The  receipts  for 
the  two  preceding  years  were  f  2,408.63.  Of  this  amount 
$1,994.54  was  for  the  Los  Angeles  mission,  $278.23  having 
been  given  during  a  week  of  self-denial.  The  receipts  from 
society  dues  was  $413.59.  At  this  convention  the  Young 
People's  Reading  Course  was  adopted.  This  provides  for 
the  reading  of  a  number  of  selected  books  and  of  special 
study  course  papers  in  the    Watchword,  on  the  completion 


548  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  which  certificates  are  granted  to  the  readers.  The  con- 
vention also  pledged  to  raise  the  sum  of  five  thousand 
dollars  for  building  a  church  at  Los  Angeles.  The  fifth 
anniversary,  in  May,  1895,  showed  the  continued  growth 
of  the  union,  there  being  1,400  societies  and  58,000 
members. 

The  fourth  general  convention  was  held  June  17-21, 
1896,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  It  was  a  great  representa- 
tive convocation — spiritual,  missionary,  educational,  and 
churchly  in  spirit.  The  union  had  grown  to  1,763  socie- 
ties, including  186  Junior  societies,  and  70,374  members, 
including  6,433  Juniors.  The  branch  unions  numbered 
forty-five.  During  the  two  preceding  years  $808.16  had 
been  paid  as  dues  and  $3,293.22  for  Los  Angeles.  Among 
the  new  lines  of  work  adopted  were  the  Christian-steward- 
ship idea  and  the  college  committees.  The  officers  elected 
were  :  President,  J.  P.  Landis  ;  vice-presidents,  AV.  L.  Rich- 
ardson, William  Williamson,  A.  B.  Statton,  W.  E.  Schell, 
J.  S.  Pitman  ;  corresponding  secretary,  H.  F.  Shupe  ;  re- 
cording secretary,  Lizzie  Sheets  ;  treasurer,  Z.  W.  Barnard  ; 
executive  council,  E.  L.  Shuey,  W.  0.  Fries,  and  George 
Miller. 

The  statistics  of  the  union  January  1,  1897,  were : 
Societies,  1,612  ;  Junior  societies,  208  ;  total,  1,820.  Mem- 
bers, 64,872  ;  Junior  members,  8,119  ;  total,  72,991. 

Although  less  than  seven  years  have  passed  since  the 
organization  of  the  union,  its  advantages  have  become 
so  apparent  that  it  meets  with  universal  favor.  As  a 
means  of  assisting  young  people  in  entering  into  the 
proper  activities  of  Christian  life,  the  association  is  above 
estimate. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES  OF  THE  CHURCH 

One  of  the  more  recent  boards  created  by  the  General 
Conference  is  that  of  trustees  in  general  for  the  property 
of  the  United  Brethren  Church  as  a  whole.  This  board 
was  formed  by  the  conference  of  1889.  The  intent  and 
scope  of  the  board  are  indicated  in  the  paper  adopted 
by  the  General  Conference  providing  for  its  organization. 
This  paper  was  a  part  of  a  general  report  from  the  Com- 
mittee on  Church  Incorporation,  of  which  Rev.  D.  R.  Miller 
was  chairman  : 

Your  committee  fails  to  find  any  statutory  provision  for  the 
incorporation  of  the  Church  in  its  entirety ;  but  that  legal  recogni- 
tion and  protection  of  the  General  Conference  and  its  property  may 
be  secured  by  the  election  and  incorporation  of  a  Board  of  Trustees 
for  the  conference.    We  therefore  recommend : 

That  the  General  Conference  elect  for  and  in  behalf  of  itself  a 
Board  of  Trustees  consisting  of  twelve  persons,  who  shall  hold  their 
office  for  four  years,  or  until  their  successors  are  elected,  who  are 
hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  secure  the  needed  articles  of 
incorporation  at  the  earliest  moment  after  the  adjournment  of  the 
conference. 

This  paper  was  approved  by  the  General  Conference,  and 
the  Board  of  Trustees  as  provided  for  was  elected.  One 
of  the  objects  for  which  this  board  exists  is  to  receive  such 
money  or  other  property  as  may  come  to  the  Church  by 
bequest  or  otherwise,  without  definite  provision  as  to  the 
purpose  contemplated  by  the  donors,  or  the  naming  of 
the  board  of  trustees  or  other  persons  to  whose  care  the 
bequests  are  to  be  intrusted.  The  powers  of  the  board 
do  not  in  any  way  conflict  with  the   rights  and   powers 


550  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  any  other  boards  of  the  Church,  either  general  or  local. 
The  board  as  elected  by  the  conference  of  1889  consisted 
of  the  following  persons :  Rev.  D.  R.  Miller,  B.  F.  Witt, 
Judge  J.  A.  Shauck,  Rev.  William  McKee,  Rev.  W.  J. 
Shuey,  Rev.  B.  F.  Booth,  Bishop  N.  Castle,  Bishop  J. 
Dickson,  Bishop  E.  B.  Kephart,  Rev.  J.  L.  Luttrell,  John 
Dodds,  and  Bishop  J.  Weaver. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY 

The  desirableness  of  organizing  a  general  Historical 
Society  for  the  Church  became  apparent  some  years  ago. 
A  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  question 
of  such  an  organization  was  called  at  Dayton,  in  May, 
1885.  After  some  discussion  it  was  decided  that  such 
a  society  be  formed,  and  a  constitution  for  its  govern- 
ment was  adopted.  A  board  of  officers  was  then  elected, 
as  provided  for  in  the  constitution,  and  the  society  was 
ready  to  assume  its  place  as  an  established  fact.  Bishop 
Kephart  was  elected  president,  and  has  remained  in  that 
office  since. 

Among  the  objects  of  the  society  is  that  of  collecting 
and  preserving  papers,  records,  books,  and  other  materials 
bearing  on  the  history  of  the  Church.  Of  these  it  has 
made  a  considerable  accumulation.  It  has  also  gathered 
relics  of  interest  to  quite  an  extent.  Among  the  latter 
are  Otterbein's  clock,  table,  and  chairs ;  also  specimens 
of  his  handwriting. 

The  library  and  museum  of  the  society  occupy  a  room 
in  the  Publishing  House,  at  Dayton,  and  its  most  valu- 
able records  and  manuscripts  are  stored  in  the  fire-proof 
vaults  of  the  House. 

A  valuable  service  is  rendered  to  the  Church  in  the  stim- 
ulus which  the  society  inspires  in  historical  studies.  One 
of  the  results  attained  in  this  field  is  the  publication  of  the 
early  Disciplines  of  the  Church,  from  1814  to  1841,  with 

551 


552  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

strictly  literal  renderings  into  English  of  those  which  were 
originally  in  German.  The  work  of  translation  was  accom- 
plished by  Professor  Drury,  of  the  theological  seminary. 
Action  was  also  taken  by  the  society  toward  producing,  in 
conjunction  with  the  Publishing  House,  similar  translations 
of  the  early  minutes  of  the  conferences  of  the  Church. 
The  funds  of  the  society  have  not  thus  far  justified  any 
very  expensive  work,  but  the  beginning  of  a  highly  im- 
portant department  of  work  for  the  Church  has  been 
established.  The  society  is  under  regular  recognition  by 
the  General  Conference  and  in  the  Book  of  Discipline, 
and  quadrennial  reports  are  required  to  be  made  to  the 
General  Conference.  The  meetings  of  the  society  are 
held  annually,  in  May. 


PART  III 

THE  ANNUAL  CONFERENCES 


PART  III 

THE  ANNUAL  CONFERENCES 

CHAPTER  I 
A  GROUP  OF  EABLY  CONFERENCES 

I.       THE    ORIGINAL    CONFERENCE. 

The  reader  has  seen  in  these  pages  some  account  of  the 
rise  and  growth  of  the  old  historic  conference  of  the  Church, 
from  its  initial  meeting  in  Otterbein's  parsonage,  in  1789, 
up  to  the  time  of  the  first  General  Conference,  in  1815. 
It  has  become  customary  to  speak  of  this  as  the  original 
conference,  to  distinguish  it  from  other  conferences,  the 
body  itself  not  having  taken  any  other  name  than  simply 
the  Conference  until  after  other  conferences  began  to  be 
formed,  when  its  official  name  became  the  Hagerstown 
District  or  Conference.  The  reader  will  also  remember 
that  after  two  sessions,  those  of  1789  and  1791,  no  other 
formal  assembling  was  held  until  the  year  1800.  From 
that  time  forward  regular  annual  sessions  were  held,  and 
these  up  to  1815  have  been  referred  to.  From  the  meager 
records  of  these  sittings,  as  well  as  from  other  sources,  we 
learn  that  their  work  was  steadily  extending,  not  only  in 
the  regions  where  it  originated,  but  to  the  westward,  espe- 
cially in  western  Pennsylvania  and  into  the  new  State 
of  Ohio,  which  had  just  then  been  admitted  to  a  place 
among  the  States  of  the  Union.  But  from  the  brief 
memoranda  left  us  enough  is  gathered  to  give  us  a 
strongly  defined  picture  of  the  life  and  activities  of  those 

553 


556  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

times.  Many  of  the  names  of  the  actors  remain,  and  th 
work  they  succeeded  in  achieving  stands  out  with  grej 
distinctness  from  a  field  over  which  the  deepening  mis 
of  time  have  gathered.  Brave  and  true  men  were  the; 
toiHng  under  many  disadvantages,  but  laying  with  patienc 
the  foundations  for  the  goodly  temple  which  their  su( 
cessors  have  reared. 

The  time  came  by  and  by  when,  on  account  of  tl: 
great  extent  of  territory  occupied,  it  became  impracticab 
for  all  the  ministers  to  meet  in  one  assembly,  and  oth( 
conferences,  daughters  of  this  goodly  conference  of  tl 
East,  must  be  formed.  The  first  of  these  was  organize 
at  what  was  then  a  long  distance  from  the  meeting  plac< 
of  the  old  conference. 

II.       THE    MIAMI    CONFERENCE. 

The  second  conference  of  the  United  Brethren  Churc 
formed  in  the  year  1810,  hardly  so  much  by  separatic 
from  the  original  conference  as  by  semi-independent  origi 
was  the  Miami.  Of  the  growth  of  the  Church  westwar 
leading  to  the  formation  of  this  conference,  of  the  tin 
and  place  of  organization,  and  number  of  ministers  pre 
ent,  with  a  list  of  their  names,  and  of  the  several  sessioi 
leading  up  to  the  General  Conference  of  1815,  mentic 
has  already  been  made.^  Of  its  action  in  memorializii 
Bishop  Otterbein  to  ordain  one  or  more  preachers,  wl 
might  be  able  to  ordain  others  also,  and  of  its  offices 
bringing  about  the  assembling  of  the  first  General  Co 
ference,  mention  has  also  been  made.  The  conferen 
began  soon  after  its  organization  to  assume  a  positi( 
of  importance  in  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  The  origin 
area  embraced  by  the  conference  included  all  the  Sta 
of  Ohio,  with  the  eastern  portions  of  Indiana,  the  speci 

1  See  pp.  180,  184-186. 


A    GROUP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  557 

centers  of  work  being  in  the  Miami,  Scioto,  and  Muskin- 
gum valleys. 

The  history  of  the  conference  presents  a  long  list  of  names 
of  men  who  toiled  laboriously,  in  the  earlier  days  and  the 
later,  and  who  contributed  their  proportion  of  noble  achieve- 
ment to  what  must  perhaps,  here  as  all  over  the  Church,  re- 
main as  a  portion  of  its  unrecorded  history,  except  in  the 
souls  gathered  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Six  of  its  mem- 
bers, some  of  them  while  in  previous  connection  in  other 
conferences,  have  been  honored  by  the  General  Conference 
with  the  responsibility  of  the  bishop's  office,  of  whom  five,  the 
elder  and  the  younger  Kumler,  Zeller,  Hoffman,  and  Coons, 
have  been  gathered  into  the  eternal  harvest.  Others  have 
been  called  to  other  responsible  stations  in  the  Church,  as 
Shuey  to  the  management  of  the  Publishing  House,  Flick- 
inger  to  the  missionary  secretaryship,  Kemp,  Billheimer,  and 
McKee  to  the  missionary  treasury,  Garst  to  Otterbein  Univer- 
sity, W.  J.  Pruner  to  Hartsville,  Landis  to  the  theological 
seminary,  Beardshear  and  Bookwalter  to  the  presidency  of 
Western  College,  S.  M.  Hippard  and  C.  W.  Miller  to  the 
management  of  college  finances.  Others  have  attained  noted 
success  as  pastors  and  presiding  elders,  as  C.  J.  Burkert,  J.  L. 
Swain,  and  G.  M.  Mathews,  the  last  adding  to  his  work  the 
care  of  the  Quarterly  Bevieiu.  E.  S.  Lorenz,  at  one  time 
president  of  Lebanon  Valley  College,  is  known  through- 
out the  Church,  and  more  broadly  beyond,  as  one  of  the 
foremost  among  Sunday-school  music  and  song  writers. 
Drs.  W.  H.  Klinefelter  and  S.  B.  Ervin,  former  college 
presidents,  are  pastors  in  this  conference.  J.  D.  Holtzinger, 
the  oldest  living  itinerant,  waits  in  sweetness  of  spirit  for 
the  coming  crown.  Jacob  Antrim,  who  sometimes  gathered 
from  three  to  four  hundred  souls  into  the  Church  in  a 
single  year,  has  long  since  gone  to  his  reward.  Rhinehart, 
the  first  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  and  much  noted 


558  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

as  a  singer,  earlier  from  Virginia  and  a  member  of  the 
old  conference,  remained  with  the  ^Miami  till  his  death. 
John  McNamar  and  the  Bonebrakes,  men  of  rugged 
strength,  were  among  the  early  workers  in  this  field. 
From  everywhere  the  familiar  faces  look  down  to  us  out 
of  the  past,  a  numerous  host,  men  who  feared  God,  and 
toiled  in  the  field  until  the  going  down  of  the  sun. 

Laymen,  too,  this  conference  has  produced  whose  names 
are  widely  known.  Among  these  was  David  L.  Rike, 
who  never  thought  the  smallest  meeting  of  the  church 
too  unimportant  to  attend,  was  a  wise  and  safe  coun- 
selor, serving  long  on  many  boards  of  the  Church,  was 
the  stanchest  and  most  lamented  friend  of  Otterbein 
University,  was  sincere  and  unostentatious  in  his  religious 
life,  and  large-hearted  and  generous  in  his  benevolences. 
He  has  passed  on  to  his  coronation.  John  Dodds  has 
long  been  widely  known  to  the  Church  for  his  large- 
handed  liberality,  both  in  the  city  in  which  he  has  spent 
his  life,  and  widely  elsewhere,  as  many  struggling  church 
enterprises  have  experienced.  Both  these  men  were  mem- 
bers of  the  General  Conference  of  1893,  and  Mr.  Dodds 
is  elected  a  delegate  to  that  of  1897. 

The  conference  has  had  good  success  in  some  of  the 
cities  and  larger  towns.  Three  thousand  of  its  more  than 
eleven  thousand  members  are  distributed  among  its  ten 
churches  in  the  city  of  Dayton.  It  has  taken  a  place 
among  the  foremost  in  the  advocacy  of  the  progressive 
measures  which  have  marked  the  life  of  the  Church.  In 
the  long  agitation  on  the  anti-secret-society  legislation 
it  was  among  the  most  earnest  in  urging  more  liberal 
measures.  It  was  among  the  first  also  to  press  the 
principle  of  pro  rata  representation  in  the  General  Con- 
ference, and  in  asking  for  lay  delegation  in  the  General 
and  annual  conferences.     Generous  from  the  beginning  in 


A  GB  O  UP  OF  EARL  Y  CONFERENCES  559 

its  support  of  Otterbein  University,  in  contributing  money 
and  students  alike,  and  equally  so  in  its  support  of  Union 
Biblical  Seminary,  its  ministry  and  people  have  been 
greatly  the  gainers. 

III.       THE    MUSKINGUM    CONFERENCE. 

Many  of  the  United  Brethren  families  who  emigrated 
westward  found  new  homes  in  the  Muskingum  Valley,  in 
sections  contiguous  to  Westmoreland  and  other  counties 
in  Pennsylvania  where  the  Church  was  already  estab- 
lished. They  remained  under  the  care  of  the  old  confer- 
ence in  the  East  until  the  year  1818.  The  distance  to 
the  East,  and  the  poverty  of  most  of  the  ministers,  pre- 
vented their  attendance  at  the  conference  sessions.  It  was 
therefore  resolved  to  form  a  second  conference  w^est  of  the 
mountains,  and  on  the  1st  of  June,  1818,  six  ministers 
met  at  Joseph  Naftzgar's,  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  to 
effect  an  organization.  Their  names  were  Abraham  For- 
ney, Matthias  Bortsfield,  Joseph  Gundy,  Christian  Knagi 
(Kanaga),  Jacob  Winter,  and  John  Crum.  Bishops  New- 
comer and  Zeller  presided.  Three  visitors,  J.  G.  Pfrim- 
mer,  Jacob  Antrim,  and  J.  A.  Lehman,  were  present.  A 
camp-meeting  held  near  by,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Bortsfield, 
had  been  closed  just  before  the  conference  was  opened. 
Bishop  Newcomer,  in  referring  to  this  meeting,  expresses 
surprise  at  the  great  numbers  of  the  people  who  w^ere 
present,  and  says,  "The  grace  of  God  wrought  powder- 
fully  among  the  people."  It  was  from  this  season  of 
spiritual  baptism  that  these  ministers  came  w^hen  they 
gathered  for  this  first  conference.  Their  minutes  breatlie 
warml}^  the  spirit  of  grace.  "Brotherly  love,"  say  they, 
"united  the  hearts  of  the  little  band,"  and  they  "resolved 
to  build  the  kingdom  of  Christ  under  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord." 


560  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

*'It  is  a  sublime  spectacle,"  remarks  Mr.  Lawrence,  "to 
behold  these  six  German  ministers,  without  patronage, 
with  httle  education,  and  depending  almost  wholly  on 
the  products  of  their  little  farms  in  the  woods  for  their 
subsistence,  resolving  to  build  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  And 
they  did  build,  and  God  owned  their  work." 

The  Muskingum  Conference  as  thus  organized  included 
all  the  territory  lying  east  and  north  of  the  Muskingum 
River,  and  several  counties  in  western  Pennsylvania, 
among  them  Westmoreland  and  Washington  counties,  the 
region  where  Christian  Berger  and  others  had  begun  to 
preach  as  early  as  1803.  The  work  west  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania line  was  for  a  number  of  years  conducted  almost 
wholly  by  a  consecrated  local  ministry,  so  slightly  was  the 
regular  itinerancy  yet  organized  in  that  day.  Gradually 
a  change  came,  and  the  conference  in  numbers  and 
efficiency  gained  a  high  rank. 

Regret  has  already  been  expressed  that  this  noble  con- 
ference, through  later  reorganization  of  boundary,  lost  its 
autonomy  and  name  in  the  Church.  It  has,  however, 
produced  names  that  will  live.  Among  the  men  whom 
it  raised  up  are  Bishop  Weaver,  Alexander  Biddle,  and 
others  famiHar  to  the  General  Conferences  and  the  Church 
a  generation  ago.  Of  Mr.  Biddle  a  word  is  to  be  spoken 
farther  on. 

IV.       THE    SCIOTO    CONFERENCE. 

The  early  history  of  the  Scioto  Conference  is  the  same 
as  that  of  the  Miami.  The  Miami  was  organized  within 
the  territory  which  afterward  became  that  of  the  Scioto, 
and  up  to  1824  the  life  of  the  two  conferences  was  one. 
The  region  which  fell  to  the  Scioto  was  among  the  fairest 
of  the  State,  and  portions  of  it  were  at  that  time  under 
more  advanced  cultivation  than  other   portions  of   Ohio. 


A  GEO  UP  OF  EABLY  CONFEBENOES  561 

The  territory   was  the  central   and   southeastern    parts  of 
the  State. 

At  the  session  of  the  Miami  Conference  in  1824  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  the  division,  and  the  first  separate 
session  of  the  Scioto  Conference  was  held  in  June,  1825, 
in  Fairfield  County.  The  records  of  this  and  three  suc- 
ceeding sessions  are  not  preserved,  and  the  particular  place 
where  this  initial  session  was  held  cannot  now  be  deter- 
mined. The  list  of  names  also  of  the  charter  members 
seems  to  be  lost.  The  minutes  as  preserved  commence 
with  the  session  of  1829.  At  this  session  the  following 
names  appear  as  "brethren  present":  Samuel  Hiestand, 
Elijah  Collins,  John  Coons,  Nathaniel  Havens,  Joseph 
Hoff'man,  John  Eussel,  John  Eckert,  James  Kinney,  Jacob 
Zeller,  and  Philip  Cramer.  Among  the  additional  names 
for  1830  are  Dewalt  Mechlin,  Lewis  Cramer,  William  Hast- 
ings, Andrew  Bird,  J.  Montgomery,  and  William  Ambrose, 
and  in  1831  are  found  recorded  tlie  names  of  George 
Benedum,  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  Miami,  Eoyal 
Hastings,  and  William  Hanby.  Some  of  the  names,  how- 
ever, of  the  original  members  remain.  Among  these  was 
John  Coons,  afterward  bishop,  who  was  licensed  to  preach 
in  1823.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Miami  Conference, 
and  in  the  division  transferred  his  connection  to  the  new 
conference.  His  later  years  were  spent  in  the  Miami. 
The  reader  has  seen  an  account  of  him.  A  man  of  renown 
in  this  conference  was  Joshua  Montgomery,  licensed  in 
the  Miami  Conference  in  1824,  and  casting  his  lot  with 
the  Scioto  Conference  in  the  division.  He  was  often  a 
member  of  the  General  Conference.  He  is  remembered 
as  a  man  of  rather  short,  stout  figure,  with  an  earnest 
face,  large  head,  and  deep-set  eyes,  genial  and  companion- 
able, an  able  preacher,  and  a  valuable  man  in  his  con- 
ference and  in  the  general  councils  of  the  Church.     Like 

36 


562  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Mr.  Coons,  he  was  a  member  of  the  famous  General  Con- 
ference of  1841. 

This  conference  has  contributed  its  full  share  of  men  of 
strength  to  the  Church.  To  the  office  of  bishop  it  gave 
Iliestand,  Coons,  Hanby,  Edwards,  and  Davis.  Bishop 
Mills,  wdiile  being  a  member  of  the  low^a  Conference  at  the 
time  of  his  election  to  the  office,  was  born  and  brought 
up  and  licensed  in  the  Scioto.  These  have  been  elsewhere 
spoken  of.  Among  the  early  members  of  the  conference 
William  Ambrose  is  w^ell  remembered.  Born  in  Maryland 
in  1770,  converted  in  1789,  making  an  extensive  preaching 
tour  through  Virginia,  Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio  w^ith  Bishop 
Newcomer  in  1812,  he  afterward  removed  to  Highland 
County,  Ohio,  and  became  one  of  the  early  builders  of 
the  Church  in  Ohio.  Two  of  his  sons,  Matthias  and 
Lewis,  grandsons  of  Christian  Crum,  became  preachers, 
and  one  of  them,  Matthias,  was  three  times  a  member  of 
the  General  Conference  from  the  Scioto,  and  afterward 
twice  from  the  Illinois  Conference.  He  joined  the  Scioto 
Conference  in  1833.  A  strong  figure  in  this  conference 
in  its  earlier  years  was  Elias  Vandemark,  who  was  licensed 
to  preach  in  1829,  and  gave  a  quarter  of  a  century  of 
earnest  and  successful  labor  to  the  Church.  Among  its 
present  best-known  itinerants  are  G.  W.  Deaver,  George 
Geiger,  W.  H.  Price,  Samuel  Whitmore,  J.  II.  Dickson, 
and  others. 

This  conference,  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Publishing 
House,  w^as  charged  with  its  special  oversight  during  the 
intervals  between  the  sessions  of  the  General  Conference, 
the  trustees  being  required  to  account  annually  to  the 
conference.  To  the  Scioto  belongs  also  the  honor  of  being 
the  first  among  all  the  conferences  to  take  effective  action 
wnth  reference  to  the  founding  of  an  educational  institu- 
tion.    The  account  of  the  founding  of  Otterbein  University 


A  GROVP  OF  EARLY  COJVFERENCfJS  5ti3 

has  already  been  given.  For  many  years,  until  tlie  organi- 
zation of  the  Central  Ohio  Conference,  the  college  was 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  Scioto,  a  fact  which  con- 
tributed much  to  the  strength  and  honorable  position 
which  the  conference  acquired. 

v.       THE    INDIANA    CONFERENCE. 

The  Indiana  Annual  Conference,  one  of  the  fair  daugh- 
ters of  the  old  Miami,  herself  the  mother  of  a  goodly 
family,  embraces  territorially  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  of  Indiana.  The  conference  was  organized  in  the 
year  1830,  meeting  in  its  first  session  on  the  25th  of 
May  in  that  year.  The  place  of  meeting  was  the  house 
of  Mr.  Stonecypher,  about  four  miles  south  of  Cory  don, 
the  county-seat  of  Harrison  County.  By  the  year  1835 
the  conference  had  so  far  extended  its  territories  as  to 
render  division  advantageous,  and  the  Wabash  Confer- 
ence was  formed.  In  1846  another  division  followed,  the 
northern  half  becoming  the  White  River  Conference,  while 
the  southern  half  retained  the  original  name. 

Among  the  early  names  of  this  conference  are  found  a 
number  who  had  already  achieved  distinction  for  ability 
and  service  as  members  of  the  Miami  Conference,  such 
as  John  McNamar,  Aaron  Farmer,  Francis  Whitcomb, 
D.  Bonebrake,  and  B.  Abbott — strong  names  in  those  days. 

Familiar  names  of  later  years  in  this  conference  were 
L.  S.  Chittenden,  J.  Lopp,  Daniel  Shuck,  J.  L.  Stearns, 
J.  Scammahorn,  J.  Ball,  and  I.  K.  Haskins.  Of  these  Mr. 
Shuck  and  Mr.  Haskins  alone  survive.  Mr.  Shuck  was 
elected  bishop  from  this  conference,  at  the  General  Con- 
ference at  Westerville  in  1861.  His  name  has  mention 
in  this  volume  in  connection  with  that  conference.  Mr. 
Chittenden  was  often  presiding  elder.  He  was  a  member 
of    the    committee    on    compiling   a   hymn-book    for   the 


564  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Church,  as  ordered  by  the  General  Conference  of  1857  ; 
was  a  number  of  times  a  delegate  to  the  General  Confer- 
ence, and  was  chaplain  of  the  Sixty-seventh  Indiana  Reg- 
iment in  the  War.  He  died  at  Westfield,  Illinois,  in  June, 
1892.  Mr.  Haskins  was  frequently  presiding  elder,  and 
his  name  is  several  times  found  on  the  General  Conference 
rolls.     He  removed  to  Kansas  in  1884. 

Prominent  among  the  names  of  the  present  time  in  this 
conference  are  J.  Breden,  J.  M.  Fowler,  A.  A.  Armen, 
J.  T.  Demunbrun,  J.  T.  Hobson,  and  A.  W.  Arford,  all  of 
whom  have  served  the  conference  as  presiding  elders. 
Mr.  Hobson  has  been  secretary  of  the  conference  since 
1879,  with  the  exception  of  one  year,  and  served  five  years 
as  presiding  elder. 

The  present  membership  of  this  conference  is  seventy- 
four  ministers,  of  whom  forty-four  are  in  the  itinerant 
ranks,  with  10,082  in  the  laity.  There  are  forty-eight 
young  people's  societies,  with  a  membership  of  1,444.  The 
Sunday-school  enrollment,  including  officers,  teachers,  and 
scholars,  is  8,161. 

VI.       THE    VIRGINIA    CONFERENCE. 

The  old  conference  of  the  East,  or  Hagerstown  Confer- 
ence, remained  substantially  a  unit  until  the  year  1831. 
Its  territory  included  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  mention  of  this  conference  calls  up  the  names 
of  Otterbein,  Boehm,  Guething,  and  others,  who  spent  the 
whole  of  their  ministerial  life  within  its  bounds,  sowing 
the  seed  of  the  word,  and  preparing  the  way  for  the 
generous  harvests  which  were  to  follow.  In  the  earlier 
pages  of  this  volume  the  history  of  this  conference  is 
traced  with  moderate  fullness  up  to  1815,  from  which  time 
forward  greater  attention  is  given  to  the  successive  General 
Conferences.     Meanwhile,  the  work  of  development  went 


A  GROUP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  565 

forward.  The  conference  increased  in  numbers,  alike  of 
its  ministers  and  membership,  until  it  became  advisable, 
for  the  greater  convenience  of  serving  the  various  charges, 
to  divide  it  into  two  sections.  The  General  Conference 
of  1829  took  appropriate  action  authorizing  the  division, 
in  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved^  That  the  Hagerstown  Conference  district  be  divided 
to  the  best  advantage,  and  that  the  brethren  Hildt,  Brown,  Zahn, 
and  Miller  constitute  a  committee  for  the  purjiose. 

This  committee  brought  a  report  to  the  conference, 
wdiich  w^as  adopted.  Of  this  report  the  following  minute 
appears  on  the   record  : 

The  committee  appointed  to  divide  the  Hagerstown  Conference 
district  reported  that  said  district  shall  in  the  future  consist  of  the 
State  of  Virginia  and  the  counties  of  Washington  and  Allegheny 
in  Maryland,  and  that  the  remaining  part  of  the  said  district  shall 
constitute  a  new  one,  to  be  called  the  Harrisburg  District. 

Both  of  the  names  thus  assigned  by  the  General  Con- 
ference were  within  a  few  years  changed,  the  old  name 
of  Hagerstown  District  or  Conference  becoming  the  Vir- 
ginia Conference,  and  the  Harrisburg  District  or  Confer- 
ence becoming  the  Pennsylvania  Conference. 

In  March,  1830,  the  old  conference  met  for  the  last  time 
as  one  body,  at  Shopp's  Meeting-house,  near  Shiremans- 
town,  Pennsylvania.  Seventy-eight  names  were  at  this 
time  enrolled  on  the  ministerial  list,  and  fifty-seven  of  this 
number  were  present.  The  session  was  one  of  peculiar 
interest.  The  brethren  who  had  toiled  so  long  in  the  close 
fellowship  of  a  single  bodv  were  henceforth  to  labor  as 
two  companies.  A  tender  Christian  fellowship  prevailed 
throughout  the  session,  and  the  secretary  makes  this  record 
in  the  minutes:  "Love  and  unity  reigned  in  the  con- 
ference." Toward  the  close  of  the  session  the  question 
was  asked  which  of  the  two  bodies,  after  the  division  was 


566  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

consummated,   should  retain  possession  of  the  record.     It 
was  answered  by  the  adoption  of  a  resolution : 

Resolved^  That  iu  future  the  Hagerstown  Conference  shall  have 
the  old  protocol  [minutes],  and  that  the  Harrisburg  Conference 
shall  procure  a  new  book. 

To  this  the  record  adds  the  following  minute  :  "  Bishop 
Kumler  gave  to  William  Brown  two  dollars,  with  which 
he  shall  purchase  a  new  protocol  for  the  Harrisburg 
Conference,  and  shall  transcribe  from  the  old  into  the 
new  all  important  proceedings." 

From  this  session  was  missed  the  presence  of  the  ven- 
erable Bishop  Newcomer,  the  first  time  for  a  long  series 
of  years.  Just  a  few  months  before,  he  was  called  into 
the  presence  of  the  jMaster. 

The  Hagerstown  Conference,  whose  name  soon  after 
appears  as  the  Virginia,  convened  in  its  first  separate 
session  on  AjDril  27,  1831,  at  Mill  Creek,  Shenandoah 
County,  Virginia.  Twenty  ministers  were  present  at  the 
opening  session :  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  bishop,  William 
R.  Rhinehart,  Henry  Burtner,  J.  Krock,  G.  Patterson, 
G.  Guething,  J.  Zahn,  W.  Kinnear,  W.  Miller,  P.  Witzel, 
Jacob  Rhinehart,  J.  Houck,  G.  Hoffman,  N.  Woodyard, 
J.  Haney,  H.  Higgins,  J.  Hass,  P.  Harmon,  W.  Knott,  and 
Jacob  Erb,  of  Pennsylvania.  Early  in  the  session  a  young 
man  of  slender  build,  not  yet  nineteen  years  old,  was  pre- 
sented as  an  applicant  for  license  to  preach.  For  forty -two 
years  the  Church  knew  him  as  Bishop  Glossbrenner.  Two 
years  later  the  names  of  J.  M.  Hershey,  G.  Rimal,  W.  R. 
Coursey,  and  G.  A.  Shuey  appear  in  the  minutes  ;  in  1834 
Jacob  Bachtel  was  admitted,  and  in  1838  Jacob  ^hirk- 
wood.  Glossbrenner,  ^hirkwood,  and  Bachtel  gave  great 
strength  to  the  conference,  and  a  high  standing  before  the 
General  Conferences.  Other  men  of  distinction  appeared 
from    time  to  time,   as   J.   W.   Howe,   George  W.  Statton, 


A  GEOUP  OF  EABLY  CONFERENCES  507 

I.  K.  Stattoii,  Jolm  Ruebusli,  W.  T.  Lower,  C.  B.  Ham- 
mack,  H.  A.  Bovey,  and  J.  Rodruck.  Of  these,  Mr.  Howe 
remains  in  the  conference,  the  Stattons  and  H.  A.  Bovey 
are  in  the  West,  the  others  are  in  the  kingdom  above.  Z. 
Warner  became  a  member  of  the  Parkersburg  Conference. 
Younger  than  any  of  these  is  Bishop  J.  W.  Hott,  also  of 
this  conference.  Among  others  well  known  are  George  P. 
Hott,  A.  P.  Funkhouser,  C.  P.  Dyche,  W.  R.  Berry,  J.  D. 
Donovan,  and  W.  F.  Gruver.  Many  others  of  its  men, 
among  them  A.  M.  Evers,  C.  T.  Stearn,  and  the  Grimms, 
are  in  other  fields.  Charles  M.  Hott,  a  brother  of  the 
bishop,  a  man  of  brilliant  gifts  and  great  usefulness,  after 
twenty-two  years  of  devoted  service,  died  in  1890.  His 
remains  lie  buried  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  Wood- 
bridge,  California. 

The  Virginia  Conference,  in  the  men  it  has  given  to  the 
Church  and  in  the  work  it  has  accomplished,  has  made  for 
itself  a  noble  record.  Many  have  been  the  brave  workers 
who,  in  the  more  than  sixty  years  of  its  existence,  have 
toiled  and  gone  to  their  reward.  In  no  other  conference 
was  the  heroism  of  the  ministers  and  people  tried  as  in  this 
through  the  dark  period  of  the  War,  when,  for  three  years, 
their  territory  was  a  great  battlefield.  The  conference  has 
provided  nobly  for  the  education  of  its  young  people  in 
rearing  and  supporting  Shenandoah  Institute. 

VII.       THE    PENNSYLVANIA    CONFERENCE. 

The  Harrisburg  Conference,  as  named  by  the  General 
Conference  of  1829,  became,  not  long  after  its  separate 
organization,  the  Pennsylvania  Conference,  the  latter  desig- 
nation expressing  more  appropriately  its  geographical 
position.  The  first  session  of  the  conference,  as  newly 
organized,  was  held  in  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania, 
in  April,   1831,  with   thirty-one    ministers   present.     Five 


568  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

candidates  for  license  to  preach  were  received,  making 
the  number  thirty-six.  Two  years  later  the  boundaries 
of  the  conference  were  so  extended  as  to  embrace  the 
territory  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  including 
Westmoreland  and  Washington  counties,  where  a  number 
of  societies  had  been  established,  and  which  had  been 
under  the  care  of  the  Muskingum  Conference  since  its 
organization  in  1818,  The  conference  now  included  the 
whole  of  Pennsylvania  and  a  portion  of  Maryland.  With 
this  large  territory  before  it  the  conference  addressed  itself 
to  the  work  with  much  energy,  and  grew  so  rapidly  that 
in  1838,  seven  years  after  the  separation  from  the  old  or 
Hagerstown  Conference,  at  a  session  at  AVormleysburg, 
Cumberland  County,  there  were  ninety-eight  preachers 
present.  To  this  number  nine  were  added  during  the 
session,  making  one  hundred  and  seven.  In  this  year  the 
portion  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains  was  set  off,  form- 
ing the  Allegheny  Conference,  thus  considerably  reducing 
the  number  of  preachers. 

In  the  year  1846  another  division  was  made,  by  which 
the  East  Pennsylvania  Conference  was  formed.  The  Penn- 
sylvania Conference  w^as  now  known  for  a  few  years  as 
the  West  Pennsylvania.  The  name  "West"  was  soon 
dropped,  and  the  old  name  without  prefix  restored,  on 
account  of  the  possible  invalidation  of  titles  to  bequests 
made  to  the  conference  under  its  old  name.  There  were 
sixty-nine  ministers  in  the  conference  at  the  time  of  the 
division.  Of  these  thirty-four  remained  in  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Conference,  while  tliirty-five  were  enrolled  with  the 
East  Pennsylvania. 

This  conference  enrolled  in  its  earlier  as  well  as  later 
days  many  men  who  served  the  Church  with  signal  ability. 
Among  these  was  Jacob  Erb,  who  was  licensed  as  a 
preacher  in  the  original  conference  in  1823.     Another  was 


A  GROUP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  569 

John  Eussel,  licensed  in  1818.  Both  of  these  became 
bishops,  and  both  have  been  spoken  of.  George  ]\Iiller, 
one  of  the  foremost  men  of  that  time,  joined  the  conference 
in  1833,  serving  with  great  success  until  1851.  Jacob 
Winter  was  one  of  the  most  successful  laborers,  his  field 
being  in  the  western  2:)art  of  the  State.  Christian  Crider, 
son  of  Rev.  John  Crider,  a  man  of  devout  heart  and  most 
exemplary  life,  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1835.  At  the 
separation  in  1846  he  cast  his  lot  with  the  East  Pennsyl- 
vania Conference.  He  is  remembered  as  a  man  and 
preacher  of  worthiest  type.  He  died  in  March,  1850. 
J.  S.  Kessler,  not  educated,  not  brilliant  in  the  pulpit,  w^as 
a  most  industrious  worker  and  one  of  the  most  acceptable 
men  of  the  conference.  At  the  division  of  the  conference 
in  1846  his  name  w^as  enrolled  with  the  East  Pennsylvania. 
An  interesting  biography  of  Mr.  Kessler  was  written  by 
Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart.  Samuel  Huber  was  a  man  of  mark  in 
this  conference.  An  autobiography  of  him  was  published 
some  years  ago. 

Among  the  younger  men  at  the  time  of  the  division 
were  J.  C.  Smith  and  Alexander  Owen.  Smith  advanced 
rapidly  to  the  front.  He  preached  ably  in  both  English 
and  German,  and  was  an  indefatigable  and  successful 
worker.  Owen  w^as  one  of  the  most  lovable  of  men,  a 
preacher  of  great  ability,  became  president  of  j\lount 
Pleasant  College,  and,  upon  its  transfer  to  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity, editor  of  the  Unity  Magazine,  and  later  president 
of  Otterbein  University.  He  died,  greatly  lamented,  at 
the  early  age  of  forty-one.  Z.  A.  Colestock,  of  Dutch 
descent,  born  in  1824,  began  preaching  in  1844.  After 
a  long  life  of  useful  service,  much  honored  and  loved  by 
his  brethren,  he  now  waits  in  contented  old  age,  witli  his 
companion  by  his  side,  for  the  Master's  final  call.  In  tlie 
year  1846  John  Dickson  took  his  first  work  in  this  con- 


570  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ference.  The  reader  has  made  his  acquaintance  as  Bishop 
Dickson.  Among  the  most  useful  members  of  this  con- 
ference, a  successful  revivalist  and  pastor,  and  greatly 
interested  in  Sunday-school  work,  is  H.  A.  Schlichter,  who 
became  a  member  in  1861.  He  will  not  lay  down  the  sword 
until  he  exchanges  it  for  the  harp.  Among  the  laymen 
of  this  conference  Mr.  Jacob  Hoke,  who  died  several  years 
ago,  holds  a  distinguished  place.  He  was  long  a  member 
of  the  Publishing  House  and  other  boards  of  the  Church, 
and  was  the  author  of  several  valuable  works,  among 
them  "The  Great  Invasion,"  the  history  of  Lee's  invasion 
of  Pennsylvania,  esteemed  one  of  the  best  war  histories 
ever  written.  A  name  long  familiar  in  the  roll  of  this 
conference  was  that  of  W.  B.  Paber.  He  served  frequently 
in  the  office  of  presiding  elder,  and  was  a  number  of  times 
in  the  General  Conference.  Other  familiar  names,  a  num- 
ber of  them  on  the  General  Conference  records,  are  A.  H. 
Pice,  J.  L.  Grimm,  B.  F.  Daugherty,  J.  R.  Hutchison,  J.  P. 
Jones,  Dr.  I.  H.  Albright,  J.  P.  Anthony,  J.  T.  Shaffer,  Dr. 
C.  A.  Burtner,  H.  B.  Spayd.  Dr.  C.  T.  Stearn  has  long  been 
a  leading  member  of  this  conference,  serving  successfully 
a  number  of  its  best  stations.  He  was  elected  to  the 
General  Conference  in  1S81,  and  to  each  conference  since 
up  to  the  present.  In  this  body,  as  also  in  the  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania  conferences,  he  was  among  the  stanchest 
in  advocating  the  constitutional  reforms  which  have 
recently  been  consummated,  urging  their  adoption  when 
it  was  unpopular  to  be  a  liberal. 

The  Pennsylvania  Conference,  by  special  arrangement 
with  the  congregation  of  the  old  Otterbein  Church  in 
Baltimore,  made  soon  after  Otterbein's  death,  supplied  that 
church  with  pastors  until  the  organization  of  the  East 
German  Conference,  since  which  time  pastors  have  been 
supplied    by    the    latter    conference.      The    conference    has 


A  GROUP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  571 

seventy-four  ministers,  of  whom  sixty-six  are  itinerant.  Its 
general  membership  is  11,653.  Its  Sunday-school  enroll- 
ment is,  teachers  and  scholars,  17,569,  over  fifty  per  cent, 
above  the  church  membership,  showing  a  high  degree  of 
activity  in  the  Sunday-school  work.  The  membership 
of  the  young  people's  societies  is  over  3,600. 

VIII.       THE    EAST    PENNSYLVANIA    CONFERENCE. 

All  history  of  the  Harrisburg,  or  Pennsylvania,  Con- 
ference between  the  years  1830  and  1846  belongs  to  the 
Pennsylvania  and  East  Pennsylvania  conferences  alike, 
the  division  of  the  conference  district  occurring  in  the 
latter  year.  In  the  year  1847  the  eastern  and  western 
divisions  met  for  the  first  time  in  separate  sessions.  The 
prefixes  "East"  and  ''West"  were  attached  to  the  names 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1845  when  authorizing  the 
division,  and  the  name  "AVest"  was,  four  years  later, 
dropped  from  the  Pennsylvania  for  reasons  already  noted. 
The  journal  of  the  conference,  including  a  copy  of  the 
minutes  of  the  old  or  Hagerstown  Conference  from  1800 
down  to  1830,  and  the  original  record  from  the  latter 
date  to  1846,  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  East  Penn- 
sylvania Conference. 

The  first  separate  session  of  this  conference  was  held 
at  Brechbill's  Meeting-house,  near  Annville,  on  March 
4,  1847,  Bishop  Hanby  presiding.  The  numl^er  of  min- 
isters enrolled  was  thirty-five,  of  whom  twenty-six  were 
in  attendance  ;  the  laity  numbered  about  fifteen  hundred. 
Among  these  were  a  number  of  men  whose  names  became 
broadly  known,  as  Solomon  A^onnicda  and  David  Strickler, 
both  of  whom  were  editors  of  the  Frohliche  BotscJiafter, 
and  the  former  publishing  agent ;  John  A.  Sand,  an  able 
German  preacher;  John  Doerkson,  born  in  Germany,  a 
man  of  much  strength  ;  Jacob  Scholler,  later  of  the  Ohio 


572  THE  UyiTED  BRETHREN  IX  CHRIST 

German  Conference  ;  John  C.  Smith,  who  is  remembered 
by  many  ;  Gideon  Smith ;  D.  Gingerich  ;  Andrew  Steiger- 
walt,  who  transferred  to  the  East  German  Conference ; 
George  A.  Mark,  Sen.,  a  man  of  much  influence  in  the 
conference  counsels. 

Others  who  followed  and  are  deceased  were :  George  A. 
Mark,  Israel  Carpenter,  W.  S.  H.  Keys,  the  last  two  noted 
as  eloquent  preachers ;  Carpenter  was  blind  for  many 
years  ;  C.  S.  Meily,  distinguished  as  a  linguist  and  Oriental 
scholar ;  his  valuable  library  is  in  Union  Biblical  Sem- 
inary ;  Dr.  J.  W.  Etter,  author,  professor,  and  editor ; 
Lewis  Peters,  a  successful  preacher,  four  times  in  the 
General  Conference ;  Isaiah  Baltzell,  a  delightful  music 
waiter,  whose  name  is  closely  joined  with  that  of  E.  S. 
Lorenz,  and  whose  songs  and  music  continue  to  give 
pleasure  to  tliousands.     Others,  as  Dr.  I.  L.  Kephart,  Dr. 

I.  H.  Albright,  Jacob  H.  Mark,  and  T.  P.  Orner,  have 
transferred  to  other  conferences. 

Among  those  now  prominent  in  this  conference,  some 
in  service  elsewhere,  are  Dr.  S.  D.  Faust,  professor  in 
Union  Biblical  Seminary ;  Dr.  Ezekiel  Light,  chaplain 
of  the  National  Military  Home,  at  Dayton,  Ohio  ;  Dr.  C.  J. 
Kephart,  Sunday-school  secretary  for  the  State  association 
of  Pennsylvania  ;  H.  B.  Dohner,  prominent  in  the  Sunday- 
school  work  of  the  conference  and  State  ;  Dr.  J.  P.  Miller, 
one  of  the  ablest  preachers  and  most  successful  pastors 
of  the  conference ;  D.  D.  Lowery  and  M.  J.  Mumma,  long 
among  its  safest  counselors  ;   E.  Ludwick,  II.  C.  Phillips, 

II.  U.  Poop,  successful  preachers  and  laborers ;  C.  I.  B. 
Brane,  who  recently  transferred  from  the  ]\Iaryland  Con- 
ference. One  of  the  long-familiar  figures  in  the  General 
Conference  sessions  is  Dr.  G.  W.  M.  Pigor,  noted  for  his 
steady  opposition  to  radicalism  and  his  sup])ort  of  reform 
movements.    He  was  closely  associated  with  the  publication 


A  GBOUP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  573 

of  the  United  Brethren  Tribune,  a  paper  opposed  to  extreme 
radicalism  and  advocating  constitutional  reform  and  more 
liberal  legislation.  The  paper  was  published  in  Harris- 
burg,  with  Light  and  Rigor  as  editors,  and  was  discon- 
tinued when  the  objects  it  advocated  were  accomplished. 
He  was  also  connected  with  Isaiah  Baltzell  in  the  publi- 
cation of  the  Musical  Visitor,  a  monthly  in  which  the 
uniform  Sunday-school  lessons  were  published  in  1872, 
prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  International  lesson 
courses,  the  latter  beginning  with  January,  1873. 

The  East  Pennsylvania  has  long  held  the  position  of  one 
of  the  most  progressive  conferences  of  the  Church,  a  place 
gained  in  part  through  its  unflinching  attitude  during  the 
long  period  of  radical  agitation.  In  Sunday-school  and 
educational  work  it  holds  a  place  well  at  the  front.  Before 
the  general  Sunday-School  Board  placed  the  Sunday-school 
secretary  in  the  field,  the  conference  Sunday-school  con- 
vention employed  Rev.  H.  V.  Mohn  to  hold  institutes 
throughout  the  conference  district.  This  same  work  was 
afterward  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  presiding  elders  and 
made  a  part  of  their  regular  duties. 

The  conference  has  churches  in  nearly  all  the  larger 
towns  and  cities  in  its  territory,  most  of  them  in  a  prosper- 
ous condition.  It  has  a  membership  of  8,313,  with  sixty- 
five  ministers,  of  whom  sixty-two  are  in  the  itinerant  ranks. 
Its  activity  in  the  Sunday-school  work  is  suggested  by  the 
fact  that  it  enrolls  12,715  teachers  and  scholars,  a  number 
more  than  fifty  per  cent,  greater  than  that  of  its  church 
membership.  Nearly  three  thousand  names  are  enrolled 
in  its  young  people's  societies. 

IX.   THE  ALLEGHENY  CONFERENCE. 

As  early  as  1803  John  G.  Pfrimmer  and  Christian 
Berger  went  into  western  Pennsylvania  and  preached  the 


674  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

word  in  Westmoreland  and  Washington  counties.  In 
November  of  the  same  year  Christian  Newcomer  visited 
the  locahty,  preaching  for  a  time  with  great  success.  Of 
a  meeting  at  John  Bonnet's  School-house,  where  the  first 
General  Conference  was  held  twelve  years  later,  he  says 
in  his  Journal,  "I  had  not  spoken  long  before  some  of 
my  hearers  fell  to  the  floor;  others  stood  trembling  and 
crying  so  loud  that  my  voice  could  not  be  heard."  On 
the  next  day  he  preached  in  the  evening  at  a  private 
house.  Of  this  he  says:  "The  power  of  God  was  dis- 
played in  a  most  marvelous  manner.  The  whole  con- 
gregation was  moved.  Mourning  and  lamentation  were 
general.  Some  of  the  most  stubborn  sinners  fell  before 
the  power  of  God.  The  meeting  continued  the  whole 
night,  and  some  were  enabled  to  rejoice  in  the  pardoning 
love  of  God."  On  a  Sabbath  soon  after  he  preached  in 
a  barn,  with  from  three  to  four  hundred  people  present. 
Some,  unable  to  gain  admittance,  stood  without  in  a 
drenching  rain.  He  speaks  of  the  occasion  as  "a  Pente- 
cost." Some,  he  says,  fell  from  their  seats;  some  lay  as 
if  they  were  dead.  The  weeping  and  crying  and  praying 
came  from  every  part  of  tlie  house. 

Thus  amid  lowly  scenes,  in  private  houses  or  barns, 
were  laid,  here  as  in  many  other  places,  the  foundations 
of  the  Church.  It  is  not  always  amid  the  environments 
of  luxury,  in  churches  richly  adorned  with  elegance  and 
splendor,  or  under  the  sound  of  organs  or  orchestras,  that 
the  great  soul-struggles  are  accomplished  through  which 
men  enter  into  life.  Even  so  amid  rude  surroundings  in 
a  humble  spot  over  the  seas  the  great  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep  brought  to  the  world  its  richest  joy. 

The  Allegheny  Conference,  though  the  Church  was 
founded  so  early,  did  not  become  a  distinct  organization 
until  the  year  1839.     A  portion  of  the  territory  occupied 


A  GROUP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  575 

by  it  had  earlier,  as  has  been  seen,  formed  a  part  of  the 
Muskingum  Conference.  In  1833  the  General  Conference 
attached  all  of  the  Muskingum  Conference  lying  in  Penn- 
sylvania to  the  Pennsylvania  Conference.  At  the  session 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Conference  in  1838,  at  Wormleysburg, 
there  were  present  ninety-eight  preachers  and  some  forty 
laymen,  so  that  the  question  of  entertainment  became  an 
embarrassing  one,  while  the  long  distances  for  travel 
further  suggested  the  propriety  of  division.  By  general 
consent,  as  was  sometimes  done  in  the  earlier  days,  the 
conference  agreed  upon  a  division,  without  previous  action 
of  the  General  Conference. 

The  Allegheny  Conference  met  in  its  first  separate  ses- 
sion on  March  25,  1839,  at  Mount  Pleasant,  in  Westmore- 
land County,  Pennsylvania.  The  conference  roll  contained 
twenty-nine  names.  Fourteen  ministers  were  present, 
namely,  Harmonius  Ow,  John  E.  Sitman,  Joseph  Zum- 
bro,  George  Miller,  John  Rathfon,  John  Wallace,  Adolphus 
Hamden,  Isaac  Coones,  Martin  Houser,  William  Beighel, 
Daniel  Worman,  Jacob  Ritter,  Henry  Metzger,  and  William 
B.  Lewis.  Among  those  not  present  was  Henry  Kephart, 
father  of  Bishop  E.  B.  Kephart  and  Drs.  I.  L.  and  C.  J. 
Kephart.  Among  those  received  into  membership  was 
George  Wagoner,  father  of  Rev.  George  Wagoner  who 
perished  with  some  of  his  family  in  the  Johnstown  flood 
in  1889  ;  also  John  L.  Baker,  who  is  still  living,  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-six,  at  Mount  Pleasant. 

This  conference  has  produced  a  very  considerable  num- 
ber of  men  who  have  become  widely  known  to  the  Church, 
some  of  them  in  fields  remote  from  the  place  of  their  birth. 
Among  these  may  be  named  Jacob  Ritter,  the  only  sur- 
viving member  from  1838,  who  published  at  an  early 
day  "Ritter's  Sketches,"  a  small  volume  which  served  a 
useful   purpose   for  ministers;    J.   B.   Resler,   lon^  known 


576  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

in  connection  with  Otterbein  University  ;  George  Keister, 
professor  in  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  deceased ;  Bishop 
E.  B.  Kephart,  I.  L.  Kephart,  C.  J.  Kephart,  H.  A.  Thomp- 
son ;  A.  L.  DeLong,  for  a  time  a  professor  in  Western 
College  ;  D.  D.  DeLong,  twelve  years  president  of  Lebanon 
Valley  College ;  George  A.  Funkhouser,  senior  professor 
in  Union  Biblical  Seminary ;  S.  B.  Allen,  professor  in 
Otterbein  University  and  president  of  Westfield  College. 
Among  other  well-known  names  are  "VV.  B.  Dick,  Isaiah 
Potter,  M.  Spangler,  J.  Medsger,  D.  Speck,  B.  F.  Noon, 
D.  Sheerer,  R.  S.  Woodward.  Among  the  younger  men 
are  H.  F.  Shupe,  editor  of  the  Watchivord;  L.  W.  Stahl, 
a  man  of  recognized  efficiency  ;  AV.  J.  Zuck,  professor  in 
Otterbein  University  ;  J.  I.  L.  Resler,  L.  F.  John,  W.  R. 
Funk,  and  A.  L.  Funk,  men  of  growing  strength  ;  J.  M. 
Lesher  and  J.  R.  King,  who  have  rendered  valuable  service 
as  missionaries  to  Africa.  Samuel  S.  Snyder,  who  went 
early  to  Kansas,  and  fell  a  victim  to  Quantrell's  raiders  in 
the  first  year  of  the  War,  was  a  member  of  this  conference. 

The  Allegheny  Conference  has  taken  a  place  among 
the  foremost  in  progressive  character.  As  early  as  1840, 
thirteen  years  before  the  organization  of  the  general  Mis- 
sionary Society,  it  formed  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
of  the  Allegheny  Conference.  In  1847  it  took  prelim- 
inary action  leading  to  the  founding  of  Mount  Pleasant 
College.  In  the  same  year,  with  the  view  of  securing 
better  qualifications  for  its  ministry,  it  ordered  the  arrange- 
ment of  a  special  course  of  reading,  upon  the  general  plan 
of  that  now  found  in  the  Discipline. 

In  general  church  membership  the  Allegheny  Confer- 
ence leads  all  the  other  conferences,  the  number  being 
12,383.  In  Sunday-school  enrollment  and  in  member- 
ship in  young  people's  associations  it  is  surpassed  only 
by  the  Pennsylvania  Conference. 


A  GROUP  OF  EARLY  CONFEBENCES  577 

X.       THE    SANDUSKY    CONFERENCE. 

The  first  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church 
within  tlie  territory  of  the  Sandusky  Conference,  so  far 
as  is  known,  was  Rev.  Jacob  Baulus,  who,  in  the  3'ear 
1822,  removed  with  liis  family  from  Marykmd,  and  settled 
upon  an  uncultivated  farm  near  Fremont,  Ohio.  He  soon 
opened  his  house  for  religious  services,  gathered  about  him 
his  neighbors,  preached  to  them  the  gospel,  and  formed  a 
society.  The  General  Conference  of  1829  attached  a  portion 
of  Sandusky  County  to  the  Muskingum  Conference,  and  it 
was  named  Sandusky  Circuit.  The  Muskingum  Confer- 
ence at  its  next  session  made  this  circuit  the  nucleus  of 
a  presiding-elder's  district,  naming  it  Sandusky  District. 
Mr.  Baulus  was  elected  elder  for  the  district,  and  J.  Zahn 
preacher  on  the  Sandusky  Circuit.  Other  circuits  were 
soon  formed,  and  the  work  was  strengthened  by  the 
arrival  of  United  Brethren  families  from  the  East.  Anions: 
them  were  several  preachers,  as  George  Hiskey,  John 
Smith,  Philip  Cramer,  Henry  Kimberlin,  John  and  Jacob 
Crum,  Israel  Harrington,  Daniel  Strayer,  and  others. 

In  view  of  this  rapid  growth,  the  General  Conference 
of  1833  authorized  the  organization.  The  first  session 
was  held  on  May  12  of  the  following  year,  at  the  house 
of  Philip  Bretz,  near  ^lelmore,  Seneca  County,  Bishop 
Hiestand  presiding.  Twenty  ministers  were  present  at 
the  organization.  Six  names  were  added  to  the  list. 
Thus  the  conference  entered  upon  its  career  with  an  en- 
rollment of  twenty-six  preachers.  All  of  these  have 
passed  on  into  the  great  beyond.  The  territory  of  the 
conference  at  its  organization  embraced  all  it  now  pos- 
sesses, a  portion  of  that  now  occupied  by  the  Central  Ohio 
Conference,  and  all  that  part  of  Ohio  now  belonging  to 
the  North  Ohio  Conference. 


578  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Among  the  most  useful  of  the  early  ministers  of  this 
conference  was  Stephen  Lillibridge.  His  brief  career, 
lasting  only  eight  years,  was  marked  by  incessant  labor. 
From  his  diary  it  appeared  that  he  had  preached  over 
nineteen  hundred  sermons,  or  an  average  of  nearly  five 
for  each  week.  He  died  near  Findlay,  Ohio,  in  1843,  at 
the  early  age  of  twenty-eight.  At  the  second  session  of 
the  conference,  in  1835,  Henry  G.  Spayth  came  into  this 
conference  on  transfer.  He  rendered  the  Church  an  inval- 
uable service  in  writing  a  history  of  its  earlier  periods, 
mention  of  which  has  been  made  in  the  preceding  pages.^ 
Mr.  Spayth  died  at  Tiffin,  Ohio,  on  September  2,  1873. 
Joseph  Bever,  a  successful  preacher  and  safe  counselor, 
joined  this  conference  in  1835.  He  compiled  the  "Chris- 
tian Songster,"  long  acceptable  to  the  Church.  He  died 
at  a  ripe  age,  at  Fostoria,  in  November,  1896.  A.  Spracklin 
was  esteemed  an  able  expounder  of  the  Word.  John  C. 
Bright  became  a  member  of  the  conference  in  1841.  To 
him,  as  practically  the  founder  of  the  Home,  Frontier, 
and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  the  Church  is  greatly 
indebted.  He  died  in  1866.-  John  Lawrence,  fourteen 
years  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  has  been  elsewhere 
referred  to.  D.  Glancy  was  a  devoted  and  successful 
laborer,  and  won  many  to  the  Church  and  to  Christ. 
William  Mathers  became  a  member  of  the  conference  in 
1847.  He  wrote  a  brief  history  of  the  conference.  After 
fifty  years  of  connection  with  the  conference  he  still  re- 
mains strong  in  the  esteem  of  his  brethren. 

Alexander  Biddle,  one  of  the  oldest  living  ministers  in 
the  Church,  having  reached  the  age  of  Otterbein  and 
Boehm,  was  born  in  Bedford  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
April,  1810,  and  has  nearly  completed  his  eighty-seventh 
year.     He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1830,  and  ordained 

'  See  p.  282.  =  c^ge  pp.  427,  428. 


A  GROUP  or  EARLY  CONFER ENCES  579 

by  the  first  Bishop  Kumler  in  1832.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sandus*ky  Conference  since  1847,  or  fifty  years, 
and  in  the  ministry  sixty-seven  years.  He  remained  in  the 
active  itinerancy  about  sixty-four  years,  since  which  time 
he  has  sustained  a  local  relation,  preaching  when  strength 
would  permit.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1841  ;  also  elected  to  that  of  1837,  but  not  pres- 
ent ;  afterward  elected  to  each  conference  up  to  1865.  In 
his  great  age  there  is  a  beautiful  ripening  of  the  Chris- 
tian graces.  In  a  recent  letter,  written  from  his  home 
in  Gabon,  Ohio,  he  says:  ''I  am  feeling  keenly  the 
burden  of  almost  eighty-seven  years,  but  am  enjoying 
fair  health.  As  to  the  future,  I  am  living  by  the  day, 
with  a  bright  prospect  of  the  heirship  of  eternal  life.  .  . 
In  the  quiet  of  my  lonely  home  my  soul  feasts  on  the 
riches  of  divine  grace.  The  time  of  the  sunset  has  come, 
but  its  tints  are  those  of  a  golden  autumn  day.  The 
sun  is  going  down  without  a  cloud,  and  as  the  earthly  is 
fading  out  of  sight,  the  heavenly  breaks  upon  my  vision, 
and  I  long  to  be  at  home  in  the  bright  eternal  day  which 
has  no  sunset."  In  his  concluding  words  ]\Ir.  Biddle 
expresses  great  delight  with  the  progress  which  the 
Church  has  made  since  he  entered  its  ministry  three- 
quarters  of  a  century  ago.  There  is  a  beautiful  eloquence 
in  this  serene  old  age,  so  near  the  borderland  of  the 
heavenly,   waiting  for  the  chariots  of   Israel. 

Among  other  men  of  recognized  usefulness  in  this  con- 
ference in  a  later  period,  who  have  all  died,  were  M.  Bulger, 
8.  T.  Lane,  Alvan  Rose,  C.  L.  Barlow,  E.  M.  Bell,  Chester 
Briggs  (later  of  the  Miami),  F.  Clymer,  and  AV.  McDowell. 
Among  others  prominent  in  their  day,  but  now  retired,  are 
Levi  Moore,  Isaac  Grouse,  elsewhere  spoken  of  as  the  author 
of  our  organized  Sunday-school  system,  W.  Martin,  J.  F. 
Seiler,  William   Nevill,  George   Bender,  W.  W.  i\IcCurdy, 


580  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

and  T.  D.  Ingle.  Among  others  now  in  the  active  service 
are  D.  R.  Miller,  transferred  from  Auglaize  in  1867,  T.  J. 
Harbaugh,  W.  A.  Keesy,  S.  H.  Raudebaugh,  J.  F.  Hill, 
J.  W.  Hicks,  G.  L.  Bender,  I.  P.  Lea,  AV.  R.  Arnold,  J.  H. 
Arnold,  H.  Doty,  C.  N.  CVabbs,  I.  E.  Barnes,  R.  French, 
and  W.  S.  Sage,  the  last  once  connected  with  the  mission 
work  in  Africa.  Dr.  Miller  has  been  since  1885  the 
energetic  financial  manager  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary. 
The  Sandusky  Conference  has  steadily  stood  in  the  front 
rank  in  all  progressive  movements  of  the  Church.  It  was 
the  second  to  give  its  voice  for  building  a  college  for  the 
Church, —  Otterbein  University, — gave  strong  a2)proval  to 
the  proposition  to  build  a  theological  seminary,  supported 
vigorously  the  p^o  rata  and  lay-delegation  movements,  and 
urged  more  liberal  legislation  on  the  secret-society  question, 
while  always  loyal  to  the  general  interests  of  the  Church 
even  when  controlled  by  those  who  radically  opposed  the 
measures  it  advocated.  Some  years  ago,  for  the  purpose 
of  providing  more  efficiently  for  local  educational  needs, 
the  conference  built  Fostoria  Academy,  at  Fostoria,  Ohio. 
The  work  done  in  the  institution  proved  highly  satisfac- 
tory, but  the  income  for  its  support  being  insufficient,  it 
was  recently  closed. 

XI.       THE    UPPER    WABASH    CONFERENCE. 

In  the  vigorous  extension  of  the  Church  toward  the 
West  new  conferences  were  rapidly  formed.  The  Indiana 
Conference,  one  of  the  prosperous  daugliters  of  the  ^liami, 
soon  gave  to  the  Church  daughters  of  her  own  household. 
Among  these  was  the  Wabash,  the  northern  portion  of 
which  afterward  became  the  Upper  Wabash.  The  first 
session  of  the  Wabash  Conference  was  held  as  early  as 
September,  1835,  in  Parke  County,  Indiana.  Thirteen 
preachers  were  enrolled,  and  six  circuits  were  recognized, 


A  GROrP  OF  EARLY  CONFERENCES  581 

divided  into  two  presiding-elder's  districts.  The  elders 
chosen  for  the  first  ^^ear  were  Wilhani  Davis  and  Jolm 
Denham,  Mr.  Davis  taking  also  a  circuit.  The  other 
itinerants  were  James  Griffith,  E.  T.  Cook,  James  Davis, 
Josiah  Davis,  and  J.  T.  Timmons.  John  Hoobler  soon 
after  became  a  fellow-laborer  with  these  pioneer  itinerants. 
Several  of  these  names  afterward  became  widely  familiar. 
Of  William  Davis  it  has  already  been  said  that  he  became 
president  of  Otterbein  University  and  later  of  Western 
College.  James  Davis  became  prominent  as  a  revivalist 
and  ingatherer  of  souls.  Mr.  Griffith,  in  his  young  life 
a  skeptic,  became  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  preachers 
in  the  West.  He  was  an  earnest  abolitionist  in  the  days 
when  it  was  unpopular  to  affirm  the  equal  rights  of  men. 
He  was  often  in  the  General  Conference,  and  was  marked 
for  his  manly  sincerity.  John  Denham  was  an  able  and 
successful  preacher  in  this  company  of  itinerants. 

Almost  throughout  the  entire  Church  the  conditions 
of  itinerant  hfe  have  so  greatly  changed  from  those  of 
half  a  century  or  more  ago  that  it  may  be  well  to  pre- 
serve here  a  picture  as  given  by  one  of  the  ablest,  as  well 
as  most  devoted,  of  the  preachers  of  tliat  time.  It  is 
from  the  pen  of  William  Davis.  In  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
written  in  the  spring  of  1846,  Mr.  Davis  said:  "A  few 
evenings  ago,  while  sitting  by  my  fireside,  looking  for- 
ward to  the  labor  and  exposure  and  privation  which  I 
must  endure  during  the  conference  year  which  has  just 
commenced,  my  mind  was  carried  back  to  the  past ;  where- 
upon, I  hunted  up  my  old  diary,  by  the  aid  of  whicli  I 
reached  the  following  facts  and  conclusions  :  That  I  have 
been  an  itinerant  minister  in  the  Clmrch  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ  sixteen  years ;  that  I  have  traveled 
for  ministerial  jxirposes  fifty-four  thousand  two  hundred 
miles;    that   I   have   preached   (or   tried    to   preach)   five 


582  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

thousand  one  hundred  and  ten  sermons ;  that  I  have 
received  as  an  earthly  remuneration  six  hundred  and 
fifty -two  dollars  ;  that  the  Lord  has  hitherto  helped  me  ; 
and  that  it  would  be  wickedness  to  distrust  so  good  a 
friend  in  time  to  come.  My  time  has  been  spent  chiefly  on 
the  frontiers,  among  poor  people  ;  and  could  I  lead  some 
of  my  rich  brethren  along  the  Indian  trails,  or  more  dimly- 
beaten  paths,  to  the  cabins  in  the  woods,  and  introduce 
them  to  meanly-clad  parents,  surrounded  by  almost  naked 
children,  and  let  them  worship  and  mingle  their  prayers, 
songs,  and  tears  around  the  same  altar,  they  too  would  love 
those  poor  brethren,  excuse  their  scanty  contributions,  and 
of  their  abundance  give  something  for  the  support  of  the 
missionary  w^ho,  perhaps,  with  ragged  clothes  and  naked 
knees  (for  I  have  preached  with  naked  knees)  is  preaching 
on  the  frontiers."^  This  portrayal  presents,  not  the  expe- 
rience of  a  solitary  individual,  but  broadly  that  of  the 
pioneer  missionary  of  those  days. 

The  Wabash  Conference  in  1858  was  divided,  forming 
the  Upper  and  Lower  Wabash  conferences.  The  two  con- 
ferences together  number  about  nineteen  thousand  souls. 
Of  this  number  7,437  are  in  the  Upper  Wabash,  its 
Sunday-school  enrollment  being  about  eight  thousand. 
Prominent  in  its  present  ministry  are  T.  M.  Hamilton, 
0.  P.  Cooper,  J.  W.  Nye,  J.  Cowgill,  R.  M.  Zuck,  A.  lAI. 
Snyder,  and  others.  Mr.  Hamilton,  as  others  of  these  men, 
has  long  been  a  familiar  figure  on  the  floor  of  the  General 
Conference.  The  conference  has  sixty  ministers,  of  whom 
forty-one  are  in  the  itinerant  ranks. 

Mrs.  Lydia  Sexton,  whose  field  was  widely  the  Church, 
was  in  a  degree  identified  with  this  conference,  receiving 
from  it  credentials  at  the  session  of  1859.  Having  been 
born  in  April,  1709,  she  was  then  well  advanced  in  years, 

1  Lawrence's  Histori/,  Vol.  II.,  p.  275. 


A  GROUP  OF  EABLY  CONFERENCES  588 

but  had  been  preaching  for  many  years  with  a  quarterly- 
conference  Hcense.  One  year,  1870,  was  spent,  witli  great 
success,  as  chaplain  of  the  Kansas  Penitentiary.  Her  life 
was  one  of  extensive  usefulness.  She  died  at  Seattle, 
Washington,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three. 

XII.       THE    LOW^ER    WABASH    CONFERENCE. 

The  ministers  whose  residence,  on  the  division  of  the 
Wabash  Conference,  fell  within  tlie  territory  assigned  as 
the  Lower  Wabash,  assembled  in  their  first  separate  ses- 
sion on  March  17,  1859,  at  Westfield,  Illinois.  Bishop 
Edwards  presided.  The  following  ministers  responded  to 
their  names  on  roll-call :  W.  C.  Smith,  S.  Mills,  S.  Bus- 
sard,  E.  Shuey,  R.  W.  Belknap,  11.  Elwell,  \\\  M.  Givens, 
J.  W.  Nye,  H.  Clark,  J.  P.  Shuey,  John  Burtner,  W.  H. 
Brown,  A.  Bales,  S.  G.  Brock,  J.  Cottman,  A.  Dunbar, 
A.  Helton,  M.  Hail,  E.  Jackson,  G.  P.  Jackson,  J.  McKee, 
S.  Push,  S.  Stark,  and  J.  Severe. 

Of  this  number  the  first  nine  remain,  and  the  first 
three  continue  in  the  active  ministry,  well  advanced  in 
years,  but  retaining  much  of  the  zeal  of  their  youth. 
Mr.  Smith  has  given  a  large  part  of  his  life  to  the  finan- 
cial service  of  Westfield  College,  has  been  a  delegate  to  six 
General  Conferences,  and  for  nearly  forty  years  has  served 
on  some  of  the  general  boards  of  the  Church.  Now,  as 
the  time  of  the  sunset  is  coming,  he  is  toiling  cheerfullv 
as  a  presiding  elder  of  one  of  the  districts.  S.  Mills 
has  given  similar  prolonged  service  to  the  conference  and 
Church.  He  has  been  eight  times  a  delegate  to  the  Gen- 
eral Conference,  and  has  been  in  the  presiding-eldership 
or  served  as  agent  for  Westfield  College  since  1863.  Dr. 
I.  L.  Kephart,  editor  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  this  conference.  Dr.  W.  H.  Klinefelter,  six  years 
president  of  Westfield  College,  had  his  membership  trans- 


584  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

ferred  recently  to  the  Miami.  Prof.  W.  R.  Shuey,  in  the 
chair  of  mathematics  in  Westfield  College  since  the  found- 
ing, and  Prof.  L.  II.  Cooley,  formerly  in  the  chair  of  ancient 
languages,  are  among  the  members  of  this  conference. 
The  conference  possesses  a  progressive  sj^irit,  and  some 
years  ago  opened  its  doors  for  the  admission  of  women 
to  membership.  On  its  rolls  are  the  names  of  Mrs.  Alva 
Roberts,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Musselman,  and  ]\Irs.  C.  A.  Stevenson. 

In  the  days  when  the  anti-secret-society  agitation  so 
greatly  disturbed  the  Church,  this  conference  was  strongly 
radical.  Its  leading  men,  however,  had  a  higher  regard 
for  the  unity  and  welfare  of  the  Church  than  for  the 
perpetuation  of  radicalism ;  and  so,  when  the  General 
Conference  of  1885  appointed  the  Commission  for  the 
revision  of  the  Constitution  and  Confession  of  Faith,  its 
three  presiding  elders,  W.  M.  Givens,  S.  Mills,  and  J.  G. 
Shuey,  in  counsel  together,  resolved  to  do  all  in  their 
power  to  hold  the  ministers  and  people  in  their  districts 
in  thorough  loyalty  to  the  Church.  In  this  they  were 
entirely  successful.  The  conference  remained  a  unit 
throughout  the  troublesome  ^^eriod  of  the  secession.  Had 
some  others  in  high  official  position  taken  a  similar  and 
really  Christian  course,  they  might  have  prevented  much 
evil. 

Numerically,  the  Lower  Wabash  Conference  stands 
among  the  foremost  in  the  Church,  its  ministerial  roll 
embracing  ninety-one  names,  with  a  general  membership 
of  11,360.  Its  Sunday-school  enrollment  is  12,356,  and 
its  young  people's  societies  have  a  membership  of   1,835. 


CHAPTER  II 

OTHER  CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  FROM  1835  TO  1853 

The  period  from  1835  to  1853  was  one  of  great  mis- 
sionary activity,  although  the  general  Missionary  Society 
was  not  yet  organized.  The  reader  has  just  seen  that 
the  Wabash  Conference  was  organized  in  1835,  with  thir- 
teen ministers  and  six  circuits.  Within  ten  years  the 
Wabash  became  the  prolific  mother  of  three  additional 
conferences — the  Iowa,  the  St.  Joseph,  and  the  Illinois. 
The  thirteen  ministers  had  increased  in  this  time  to 
ninety-nine,  and  the  six  charges  to  forty-eight. 

I.       THE    IOWA    CONFERENCE. 

Iowa  Conference  was  the  first  conference  formed  in  the 
vast  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi  ceded  by  France  to 
the  United  States  in  1803,  and  known  as  the  ''Louisiana 
Purchase."  Iowa  was  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1838 
and  as  a  State  in  1846.  Among  the  early  settlers  were 
persons  from  United  Brethren  communities,  including  a 
few  United  Brethren  preachers.  About  1836  John  Burns, 
a  local  preacher,  and  Christian  Troup,  a  member  of  the 
Wabash  Conference,  came  and  soon  established  preaching 
places.  Ira  B.  Ryan,  at  the  time  a  layman,  formed,  in  1841, 
the  first  class.  The  first  quarterly  conference  was  held  at 
what  is  now  Lisbon  in  1842.  Early  ministers  of  promi- 
nence were  John  Everhart,  F.  R.  S.  Byrd,  and  A.  A.  Sellers. 

In  March,  1843,  a  meeting  was  held  in  which  annual- 
conference    business    was    transacted,    and    in    tlie    fall    of 

58.T 


586  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

1843  a  similar  meeting  was  held,  a  presiding  elder  of  the 
Wabash  Conference  being  present.  Bishop  H.  Kumler, 
Jun.,  presided  over  the  Iowa  "Branch  of  the  Wabash 
Conference"  in  May,  1844.  On  August  14,  1845,  at  Wil- 
liam Thompson's,  in  Louisa  County,  Bishop  Russel  form- 
ally organized  the  conference,  though  at  the  present  time 
it  dates  its  beginning  back  to  1844.  The  conference 
grew  rapidly,  and  in  1853  was  divided,  the  southern 
portion  being  named  the  Des  Moines  Conference,  a 
part  of  which,  under  the  name  of  East  Des  Moines,  was 
reunited  with  Iowa  Conference  in  1890.  In  1861  Xorth 
Iowa  Conference  was  formed,  and  this,  after  varied  struggles 
and  successes,  was  reunited  with  the  original  conference  in 
1874.  Good  results  have  followed  these  consolidations. 
With  an  increased  number  of  ministers  who  have  received 
a  college  or  seminary  training,  and  with  a  settled  purpose 
to  enter  places  where  permanent  work  can  be  built  up, 
the  prospects  of  the  conference  are  steadily  improving. 

Among  those  deceased,  or  no  longer  connected  with 
the  conference,  who  have  held  a  prominent  place,  may 
be  mentioned  S.  Weaver,  Wihiam  Davis,  S.  W.  Kern,  S. 
Sutton,  D.  Wenrich,  ]\I.  Bowman,  and  M.  S.  Drury,  now 
a  member  of  California  Conference. 

The  Iowa  Conference  entered  early  the  educational  field, 
taking  the  first  steps  toward  founding  Western  College 
within  ten  years  after  its  organization.  Its  general  church 
membership,  according  to  the  latest  statistics,  is  6,800.  Its 
ministers  number  eighty-three.  Among  these  are  Bishops 
Kephart  and  IVIills,  Dr.  L.  Bookwalter,  president  of  West- 
ern College,  Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  of  the  theological  seminary. 
Dr.  M.  R.  Drury,  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  Dr.  I.  K. 
Statton,  Dr.  W.  I.  Beatty,  W.  D.  Ilartsough,  R.  E.  Wil- 
liams, L.  B.  Hix,  and  others  who  are  men  of  influence 
in  the  conference. 


OTHER  CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  1835-1853        587 

The  story  of  the  toils  and  hardships  of  the  early  pioneers 
in  this  conference  and  elsewhere,  in  the  work  of  laying 
the  foundations  of  the  Church,  would  possess  a  thrilling 
interest,  and  be  sufficient  to  fill  volumes. 

II.       THE    ST.    JOSEPH    CONFERENCE. 

The  St.  Joseph  Conference,  located  in  northern  Indiana 
and  southern  Michigan,  was  formed  by  separation  from 
the  Wabash  by  the  General  Conference  of  1845.  A  ses- 
sion of  the  conference  was  held  at  North  Manchester, 
Indiana,  which,  in  the  absence  of  a  bishop,  was  pre- 
sided over  by  J.  M.  Hershey.  The  first  regular  session, 
from  which  the  conference  takes  its  date,  Bishop  Gloss- 
brenner  presiding,  was  held  at  Leffle's  Church  in  1846. 
The  names  of  some  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
conference,  recognized  as  leaders  in  the  work,  are  J.  M. 
Hershey,  William  Davis,  Josiah  Davis,  J.  Suman,  J.  Fet- 
terhofF,  J.  Thomas,  J.  B.  Slight,  J.  Farmer,  J.  Freeman, 
F.  L.  Forbes,  J.  S.  Todd,  and  R.  Baker.  To  this  number 
was  added  H.  A.  Snepp,  w4io,  after  a  long  and  faithful 
life  of  half  a  century  in  the  ministry,  has  recently  been 
called  to  the  final  reward.  J.  Thomas,  now  of  the  North 
Ohio,  is  one  of  this  original  number  3^et  living.  R. 
Baker,  one  of  the  first  members,  is  living,  and  remains 
in  connection  with  the  conference.  Many  of  these  men 
had  been  for  years  in  the  service  in  the  Wabash  Confer- 
ence, and  even  in  the  Indiana  before  the  Wabash  was 
formed,  and  were  already  veterans  in  the  toils  and  hard- 
ships of  missionary  life.  J.  Suman  was  a  man  of  remark- 
able power  as  a  preacher  and  revivalist.  Next  to  him 
as  successful  laborers  were  J.  Demunbrun,  J.  Babcock, 
and  William  Davis,  men  of  distinguished  abilities,  and 
gathering  rich  harvests  into  the  Church.  The  conference 
began   with   nineteen   ministers  and  about  three  hundred 


588  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

in  the  laity.  The  present  number  of  ministers,  according 
to  the  latest  statistics,  is  an  even  one  hundred,  of  whom 
seventy-eight  are  itinerant  and  twenty-two  local.  The 
general  membership  is  10,939.  Its  Sunday-school  enroll- 
ment for  1896  w^as  13,681,  and  its  membership  in  its 
eighty-three  young  people's  societies  was  2,780. 

The  conference  has  given  to  the  Church  Bishop  N. 
Castle  and  Dr.  W.  M.  Bell,  both  of  whom  are  elsewhere 
spoken  of.  Among  other  names  well  known  are  J.  F. 
Bartmess,  George  Sickafoose,  F.  Thomas,  C.  H.  Bell,  J. 
Simons,  R.  J.  Barrett,  J.  L.  Parks,  A.  J.  Cummins,  and 
A.  M.  Cummins. 

III.       THE    ILLINOIS    CONFERENCE. 

In  the  year  1835  there  was  but  a  single  circuit  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  that  circuit 
a  mission.  In  the  same  year  John  Dunham  w^as  appointed 
presiding  elder  for  the  State.  The  fertile  and  almost 
boundless  prairies  presented  an  irresistible  attraction  to 
immigration,  and  with  the  pioneer  settler  came  the  pioneer 
minister.  ^Ir.  Dunham  was  soon  joined  by  Josiah  Davis 
and  John  Iloobler.  Others  followed,  and  ten  years  later, 
when  the  Illinois  Conference  was  formed,  the  names  of 
twenty-one  ministers  were  enrolled.  The  conference  was 
formed  by  separation  from  the  Wabash,  as  the  Wabash 
itself  had  been  from  the  Indiana.  Bishop  Russel  presided 
at  this  first  conference,  and  the  following  are  the  names 
of  the  members :  John  Dunham,  Josiah  Terrell,  J.  P. 
Eckles,  Robert  Baker,  David  Breeding,  J.  T.  Timmons, 
Frederick  Kenoyer,  Alexander  Long,  J.  T.  Mandervillc, 
J.  B.  McVey,  Hiram  Freeman,  Jacob  A.  Kenoyer,  J.  D. 
Hock,  Charles  Sleigh,  Isaac  Ilesser,  James  Davis,  George 
Brewer,  Clark  Jenks,  B.  E.  Shields,  James  Haines,  and 
Lyman  Jenks.     Most   of  these   men   possessed  in  a  high 


OTHER  CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  1835-1853        589 

degree  the  pioneer  missionary  spirit.  John  Dunham,  whose 
name  is  frequently  met,  was  brave,  hardy,  and  true.  See- 
ing in  the  broad  plains  of  Illinois  the  promise  of  a  goodly 
inheritance,  he  entered  in  to  possess  the  land.  Josiah 
Terrell,  a  leader  in  the  social  gaieties  of  his  neighborhood, 
soon  after  his  conversion  began  to  preach.  J.  A.  Kenoyer 
and  M.  Ambrose  became  familiar  names  in  the  annals 
of  the  Church.  Isaac  Kretzinger  entered  the  conference  at 
an  early  date ;  a  plain,  earnest  man,  rendering  the  Church 
much  valuable  service,  but  intensely  radical  on  the  secrecy 
question,  and  going  off  with  the  radical  secession.  P.  F. 
Smith,  also  for  a  time  prominent  in  the  conference,  went 
in  the  same  way.  This  conference  at  the  first  included 
all  the  territory  now  occupied  by  the  Central  Illinois  and 
Rock  River  conferences.  By  the  separation  of  these  into 
independent  conferences,  its  territory  became  more  circum- 
scribed. It  has  now  thirty-three  ministers,  all  on  the 
itinerant  list,  with  a  membership  of  3,327. 

IV.       THE    WHITE    RIVER    CONFERENCE. 

The  White  River  Conference  was  formed  by  separation 
from  the  Indiana,  in  1846.  The  Indiana  couA^ened  on 
February  30,  and  in  accordance  wdth  the  permission  given 
by  the  General  Conference  of  1854  it  separated  itself 
into  two  sections,  the  southern  part  retaining  the  name 
Indiana,  and  the  northern  part  taking  the  name  of  White 
River.  Bishop  Hanby  presided  at  this  conference.  In 
the  White  River  two  elder's  districts  were  formed,  D.  Stover 
and  W.  W.  Richardson  being  chosen  presiding  elders. 

The  first  separate  session  of  the  AVhite  River  Conference 
was  held  January  18,  1847,  in  Washington,  Wayne  County, 
Indiana,  Bishop  Russel  presiding.  Among  the  leading 
names  at  this  session  are  found  those  of  J.  A.  Ball,  D. 
Stover,  W.  W.  Richardson,  and  Caleb  B.  Witt.     Mr.  Witt 


590  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

was  the  father  of  WilHam  Barton  Witt,  M.D.,  who  w^as  one 
of  the  early  missionaries  of  the  Church  in  West  Africa. 
In  1849,  three  years  after  the  formation  of  the  conference, 
the  number  of  ministers  w^as  thirty-five,  and  2,748  members 
were  reported.  Among  the  leaders  of  this  conference,  in 
addition  to  the  men  above  named,  are  found  the  names 
of  Milton  Wright,  J.  T.  Yardaman,  T.  Evans,  Halleck 
Floyd,  J.  M.  Kabrich,  I.  M.  Tharp,  Z.  McNew,  all  of  w^hom, 
with  C.  W.  Witt,  were  in  the  General  Conferences  from 
1861  to  1889. 

This  conference,  with  its  excellent  territory  and  numer- 
ous strong  men,  suffered  more  than  any  other  of  the  larger 
conferences  from  determined  radicalism.  Two  of  its  men, 
M.  Wright  and  H.  Floyd,  became  bishops  in  the  radical 
church.  Under  the  influence  of  strong  leaders  the  radi- 
cal feeling  had  gained  great  strength,  and  a  large  pro- 
portion of  both  ministers  and  people  were  carried  away 
with  the  secession.  Hartsville  College,  to  which  reference 
has  elsewhere  been  made,  was  lost  to  the  Church  by  sale 
under  execution. 

The  conference  at  the  present  time  has  fifty-four  min- 
isters and  7,183  members.  It  has  ninety-one  Sunday 
schools,  wdth  an  enrollment  of  7,538.  The  membership 
of  its  young  people's  societies  is  1,708.  Among  its  lead- 
ing ministers  at  the  present  time  are  A.  C.  Wilmore,  J.  T. 
Roberts,  M.  L.  Bailey,  D.  0.  Darling,  and  Alonzo  Myer. 

The  conference  is  hopefully  rebuilding,  and  there  is 
before  it  a  future  of  goodly  promise. 

V,      THE    NORTH    OHIO    CONFERENCE. 

The  North  Ohio  Conference  w^as  organized  in  the  year 
1853,  at  Leoni,  Jackson  County,  Michigan.  Its  territory 
embraces  northwestern  Ohio,  northeastern  Indiana,  and 
southeastern    Michigan,  previously   included    in  the   San- 


OTHER  CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  1835-1853        591 

dusky  and  ^licliigau  conferences.  Bishop  Markwood  pre- 
sided at  the  first  session.  The  names  of  ministers  enrolled 
were  Aaron  Bowser,  T.  Osmun,  J.  Preston,  John  Kurtz, 
C.  Crossland,  John  Martin,  Xathan  Hale,  John  Miller,  H.  W. 
Cherr}^,  Joseph  Fink,  George  Struble,  J.  Lower,  J.  Gear, 
R.  T.  Martin,  and  D.  Holmes — fifteen  in  number.  Of  these 
the  first  nine  have  passed  over  the  river.  The  lay  mem- 
bershij)  at  the  time  of  the  organization  was  about  twelve 
hundred.  Through  the  early  years  of  the  conference  some 
of  those  recognized  as  leaders  were  J.  X.  ]\Iartin,  J.  K. 
Alwood,  Bowser,  Kurtz,  Fink,  Gear,  and  Lower.  The  last 
two  are  still  members  of  the  conference,  and  ^Martin  is 
deceased.  Alwood  went  out  with  the  secession.  Among 
those  best  known  now  are  S.  P.  Klotz,  J.  AY.  Lilly,  D.  B. 
Keller,  C.  M.  Eberly,  J.  S.  Tedrow.  Keller  is  a  member 
of  the  general  Alissionary  Board,  and  Lilly  and  Keller  are 
members  of  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

Some  of  the  strongest  leaders  in  the  radical  movement 
were  found  in  this  conference,  among  them  notably  J.  K. 
Alwood.  Under  this  able  leadership  this  conference  suf- 
fered severely,  about  one-half  of  its  ministers  and  people 
being  carried  out  of  the  Church  with  the  radical  secession. 

VI.   THE  OHIO  GERMAN  CONFERENCE. 

The  Ohio  German  Conference  was  organized  October  20, 
1853,  at  Germantown,  Ohio,  Bishop  Edwards  presiding.  It 
was  formed  by  separation  chiefly  from  the  Miami  Confer- 
ence, not  in  a  geographical  sense,  but  by  a  separate  organi- 
zation of  the  German  ministers  and  churches.  Its  territory 
includes  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Kentucky,  and  the  conference 
is  permitted  to  enter  any  other  State  or  Territory  westward. 
Among  its  early  ministers  were  Jacob  Scholler,  John 
Kreider,  Christopher  Flinchbaugh,  George  Baker,  John 
Blouch,  F.  Schwab.     Scholler  was  born  in  Alsace,  Germany, 


592  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

in  1812,  was  converted  in  the  old  Otterbein  Church,  Balti- 
more, began  to  preach  in  1840,  and  labored  with  great  success 
for  ten  years  in  Pennsylvania,  and  afterward  in  Ohio  until 
his  death.  He  was  distinguished  as  a  leader  among  the 
Germans.     He  died  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 

The  ministers  and  people  of  this  conference,  as  among 
the  Germans  generally,  have  long  been  recognized  as 
efficient  workers,  and  earnest  in  the  support  of  the  general 
interests  of  the  Church.  Their  missionary  contributions 
show  a  larger  average  per  member,  and  their  patronage 
of  the  German  periodicals  a  largg^r  percentage  of  the 
membership,  than  those  of  the  English  portion  of  the 
Church,  and  give  them  in  these  respects  a  position  above 
that  of  their  English  brethren. 

Among  the  most  efficient  of  living  laborers  now  in  the 
conference  are  Edward  Lorenz,  Gottlieb  Fritz,  C.  Streich, 
and  August  Schmidt.  All  of  these  were  born  in  Germany. 
Mr.  Lorenz  was  born  in  1827  ;  came  to  America  in  1848, 
became  a  member  of  the  conference  in  1862,  serving  as  a 
regular  itinerant ;  spent  two  years,  from  1891  to  1893,  as 
presiding  elder  of  the  mission  in  Germany,  and  on  the  death 
of  William  Mittendorf,  in  1895,  was  elected  his  successor 
as  editor  of  the  German  periodicals.  Mr.  Fritz,  born  1832, 
came  to  America  in  1851,  was  licensed  to  preach  in  1859, 
has  served  seventeen  years  as  presiding  elder,  was  elected 
to  the  General  Conference  in  1869,  and  to  every  conference 
since  except  that  of  1893.  He  is  an  earnest,  robust  worker 
for  his  conference  and  the  Church.  Mr.  Streich,  born  in 
1839,  licensed  to  preach  in  1863,  has  given  thirty-four 
years  of  continuous  and  efficient  service  to  the  Ohio  Ger- 
man Conference.  William  Mittendorf,  elsewhere  men- 
tioned, twenty-two  years  editor  of  the  German  periodicals, 
a  most  faithful  and  useful  servant  of  the  Church,  dying 
in  1895,  was  a  member  of  this  conference. 


OTHER  CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  1835-1853        593 

The  conference  has  twenty-nine  ministers,  all  enrolled 
as  itinerants,  a  lay  membership  of  2,312,  and  a  Sunday- 
school  enrollment  of  3,322. 

yil.       THE    AUGLAIZE    CONFERENCE. 

The  Auglaize  Conference,  for  four  years  called  the 
Maumee,  was  formed  by  separation  from  the  Miami.  The 
initial  session  was  held  at  Pleasant  Hill  Chapel,  in  Mercer 
County,  on  September  9,  1853,  Bishop  L.  Davis  presiding. 
The  charter  members,  twenty-seven  in  number,  were  A. 
Shingledecker,  John  Hill,  James  Spray,  George  Davis, 
David  Davis,  William  Miller,  Henry  Snell,  Ira  Thomp- 
son, L.  S.  Farber,  C.  B.  Whitley,  William  Siberry,  James 
Lea,  A.  F.  Miller,  Thomas  Reed,  J.  Wilkinson,  WiUiam 
Milligan,  J.  Eby,  William  Burtch,  P.  B.  Holden,  F.  B. 
Hendrix,  H.  Pv.  Tobey,  D.  Bolp,  A.  W.  Holden,  E.  M. 
Brown,  S.  L.  Downey,  G.  S.  Gibbons,  T.  J.  Babcoke.  The 
lay  membership  of  the  conference  in  the  following  year 
was  2,878. 

This  conference  throughout  its  history  has  had  a  career 
of  commendable  activity.  Unfortunately,  some  of  its  most 
influential  men  held  a  decidedly  radical  attitude,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  so  dividing  both  ministers  and  people  that  when 
the  secession  came  many  of  them  went  with  the  seceders. 
Notwithstanding  these  losses,  the  conference  is  well  at  the 
front  in  its  activities.  It  numbers  at  present  fifty-eight 
ministers,  of  whom  forty-five  are  itinerant,  and  6,531  lay 
members.  Its  Sunday-school  enrollment  is  10,334,  show- 
ing an  unusually  large  percentage  above  the  church  mem- 
bership, and  indicating  the  activity  of  its  people  in  that 
work.  Of  young  people's  societies  the  conference  has 
twenty-seven,  with  a  membership  of  1,285. 

Among  those  who  entered  the  conference  at  various 
dates  since  its  organization  were  J.  L.  Luttrell,  E.  Coun- 

38 


594  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

seller,  W.  E.  Bay,  R.  W.  Wilgus,  \V.  Z.  Roberts,  and  J.  W. 
Lower,  all  of  whom  have  represented  the  conference  in 
the  recent  General  Conferences.  Mr.  Luttrell,  now  de- 
ceased, a  few  years  ago  wrote  and  published  a  history  of 
the  Auglaize  Conference  which  has  value  in  preserving 
many  facts  in  permanent  form.  The  conference  has  been 
especially  honored  in  the  number  of  missionaries  it  has 
furnished  for  the  foreign  field.  They  are  Rev.  W.  S.  Sage, 
Rev.  R.  N.  West,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Miller,  and  Miss 
Ella  Schenck. 

VIII.       THE    ROCK    RIVER    CONFERENCE. 

The  Rock  River  Conference  was  organized  on  August  19, 
1853,  at  Pine  Creek  School-house,  in  Ogle  County,  Illinois. 
Bishop  L.  Davis  presided,  and  the  following  ministers  were 
present :  :\I.  Clifton,  A.  Church,  W.  E.  Henry,  J.  Dollarhide, 
William  Dollarhide,  S.  Fenton,  A.  B.  Frazier,  J.  Warner, 
W.  H.  Haskins,  S.  Kretzinger,  J.  Perrine,  W.  T.  Burton, 
E.  L.  Church,  S.  F.  Medler,  D.  S.  Richards,  J.  Hiestand, 
Asa  Coho,  J.  R.  Baumgardner,  Jacob  Baumgardner,  S.  Healy 
— twenty  in  all,  with  nine  absent.  The  conference  was 
formed  by  separation  from  the  Illinois.  Its  territory  em- 
braces all  of  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
extending  to  the  Wisconsin  line. 

For  some  years  the  work  in  this  conference  was  pushed 
with  much  success,  when  unfortunate  divisions  arose,  the 
most  serious  of  them  growing  out  of  the  secret-society 
question.  Some  of  the  ministers  were  intensely  radical, 
and  when  the  General  Conference  of  1885  took  steps  toward 
amending  the  Church  Constitution,  they,  with  others  else- 
where, began  to  prepare  the  way  for  secession.  When  the 
secession  came,  they  succeeded  in  carrying  with  them  a 
large  number  of  the  people.  The  census  of  October,  1892, 
showed  that  those  adhering  to  the  Church  had  been  reduced 


OTHER    COyPERENCES  ORGANIZED  1835-1853        595 

to  1,090.  A  favoraI)le  tide,  however,  soon  set  in,  and  in 
1896  this  number  liad  advanced  to  1,471,  while  the  Sun- 
day-school enrollment  is  2,494.  Its  young  people's  societies 
include  590  names,  or  considerably  more  than  one-third 
of  the  entire  membership.  This  fact  and  the  Sunday- 
school  enrollment  show  that  a  young  and  fresh  life  is 
coming  to  the  front,  thus  assuring  a  future  vigorous 
growth.  C.  Bender  and  Dr.  H.  I).  Healy  were  the 
representatives  of  this  conference  in  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1889,  and  Cornelius  Wendle,  J.  GrofF,  and  Mr. 
D.  C.  Overholser  in  that  of  1893.  Rev.  W.  M.  Weekley, 
the  secretary  of  the  Church-Erection  Society,  is  a  member 
of  this  conference. 

IX.       THE    KENTUCKY    CONFERENCE. 

At  an  early  day  several  United  Brethren  families  sought 
homes  in  Adair  and  other  counties  in  Kentucky.  Occa- 
sional visits  were  made  to  them  by  United  Brethren 
ministers,  among  these  Bishop  Newcomer.  The  first 
organized  societies  were  formed  about  1833  by  John  M. 
Blair,  of  the  Indiana  Conference,  on  Green  Eiver,  in 
central  Kentucky.  He  was  soon  joined  by  William 
Blair,  his  brother.  They  preached  in  Adair  and  other 
counties,  and  numerous  conversions  followed.  William 
Traylor  and  R.  T.  Leftwich  afterward  came  to  their  aid. 

The  work  was  supplied  from  the  Indiana  Conference 
until  1850,  when  Bishop  Glossbrenner  visited  it  with  the 
view  of  organizing  it  into  a  conference.  He  appointed 
a  meeting  for  this  purpose  in  Adair  County.  Only  the 
Blair  brothers  were  present,  but  he  proceeded  with  the 
organization,  and  the  conference  was  subsequently  placed 
under  the  care  of  the  Board  of  Missions.  Different  min- 
isters from  time  to  time  went  to  this  work,  among  them 
Jordan  Antle  and  A.  L.  Best,  the  latter  now  of  Southern 


596  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Missouri  Conference.  Tlie  work  failed  through  many  j^ears 
to  get  a  strong  hold  upon  the  regard  of  the  people  on 
account  of  the  pronounced  attitude  of  the  Church  on  the 
subject  of  slavery,  the  cause  which  operated  widely  in 
the  South  with  a  similar  result.  There  are  at  present 
connected  with  this  conference  about  twenty-five  organ- 
ized societies,  with  about  twenty  ministers.  Among  these 
are  found  the  names  of  John  Roe,  Thomas  Hadley,  Wil- 
liam M.  Dickens,  John  AV.  Malone,  T.  J.  Gibson,  and  H.  B. 
James.     The  conference  still  remains  as  a  mission  field. 


CHAPTER  III 
CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853 

I.       THE    ERIE    CONFERENCE. 

The  original  Erie  Conference,  as  formed  by  the  General 
Conference  of  1853,  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
The  General  Conference  of  1861  divided  the  conference, 
and  the  present  body  retaining  the  name  of  Erie  Confer- 
ence was  organized  at  Harbor  Creek,  Erie  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  October  16,  1862,  Bishop  Edwards  presiding. 
The  territory  covered  by  the  conference  is  northwestern 
Pennsylvania  and  western  New  York.  The  ministers 
present  at  this  organization,  thirty-two  in  number,  were 
as  follows  :  W.  Rittenhouse,  W.  Cadman,  G.  W.  Hill,  J. 
Barnard,  B.  Haak,  G.  W.  Sleeper,  .J.  W.  Clark,  J.  Hill, 
0.  Badgley,  D.  Bolster,  J.  L.  Chapin,  E.  B.  Torrey,  L.  L. 
Hager,  J.  L.  Range,  G.  W.  Franklin,  A.  Brooks,  H.  C. 
Howard,  W.  Bates,  G.  Smith,  J.  G.  Erb,  G.  E.  Wellman, 
E.  Benson,  W.  Mclntyre,  F.  H.  Herrick,  S.  H.  Smith, 
R.  W.  Braddock,  G.  A.  Peters,  D.  Gray,  J.  W.  Hoyt,  I.  Ben- 
nehofF,  J.  McFadden,  and  H.  Bedow.  The  following,  also 
members,  were  not  present :  L.  Mclntyre,  W.  D.  Ellis, 
A.  Holman,  W.  R.  King,  I.  N.  Miller,  and  N.  Martin. 

A  number  of  these  men  are  still  in  the  active  service, 
and  other  efficient  men  have  been  added.  Among  these 
are  Prof.  R.  J.  AVhite,  principal  of  Sugar  Grove  Seminary 
since  its  founding  in  1884,  spoken  of  elsewhere,  E.  Smith, 
P.  E.  Smith,  A.  Brunson,  M.  D.  M.  Altice,  O.  J.  Gage. 
L.  L.  Hager,  one  of  the  early  members,  has  written  and 

597 


598  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

published   two   volumes   of    pleasant   poems   on   religious 
and  miscellaneous  subjects. 

The  Erie  Conference  has  achieved  a  noble  record  of 
service,  and  holds  its  place  among  the  progressive  con- 
ferences of  the  Church.  The  ministers  have  been  united 
and  loyal,  and  the  radicalism  which  proved  so  disastrous 
in  many  places  made  here  no  appreciable  impression. 
Within  late  years  an  increased  effort  has  been  made  to 
occupy  the  cities  and  larger  towns,  and  there  are  now 
flourishing  churches  in  Buffalo,  Erie,  Pleasantville,  Brad- 
ford, and  other  places.  The  seminary  also  is  receiving 
growing  attention.  The  number  of  ministers  in  the  con- 
ference is  seventy-seven,  of  whom  sixty-three  are  itinerant. 
The  general  membership  is  3,861.  The  Sunday-school 
enrollment  is  6,702,  showing  a  very  unusual  percentage 
above  the  church  membership. 

II.       THE    OREGON    CONFERENCE. 

Of  the  organization  of  this  pioneer  conference  of  the 
Pacific  Coast,  in  1855,  under  the  courageous  leadership 
of  those  enthusiastic  and  devoted  men,  T.  J.  Connor, 
and  J.  Kenoyer,  the  reader  has  seen  an  account.^  Of 
the  struggles  of  the  conference,  never  large  in  num- 
bers, to  build  a  college,  an  account  has  also  been  given. 
For  many  years  the  preachers  and  people  worked  in 
good  hope,  looking  for  the  day  of  larger  things.  In 
time,  however,  the  conference  became  subject  to  the  great- 
est harm  through  the  extreme  radicalism  of  some  in  high 
places.  So  thoroughly  had  the  spirit  of  disloyalty  been 
encouraged  among  the  people  that  when  the  final  crisis 
came,  about  one-half  of  the  preachers  and  people  went 
with  the  secession.  Since  then  the  contention  over  the 
college  property  has  been  a  source  of  much  trouble,  though, 

'  Pp.  429,  430. 


CONFEBENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  599 

happily,  now  finally  settled  in  favor  of  the  Church.  The 
conference  now  numbers  twenty  ministers,  and  1,114  in 
the  laity.  Among  its  present  most  influential  ministers 
are  J.  R.  Parker,  B.  E.  Emrick,  P.  C.  Hetzler,  and  C.  C. 
Bell.  George  Sickafoose  spent  a  number  of  years  in  the 
conference,  but  recently  returned  to  the  East. 

III.       THE    ONTARIO    CONFERENCE. 

The  reader  has  already  seen  that  the  earliest  United 
Brethren  ministers  who  visited  Canada  were  Jacob  Erb, 
afterward  bishop,  and  J.  Christian  Smith.  They  were  both 
at  the  time  members  of  the  original  or  Hagerstown  Con- 
ference. This  visit  was  made  in  1825,  and  was  undertaken 
on  their  own  account.  They  preached  extensively,  scat- 
tering the  seed  of  the  word  by  the  way,  and  years  after- 
ward some  of  the  fruits  of  their  labor  remained.  Two 
years  later,  in  1827,  Mr.  Erb  was  appointed  to  what  was 
then  called  the  New  York  Mission,  the  territory  included 
being  western  New  York.  After  this  Mr.  Erb  made 
occasional  visits  to  this  seat  of  his  labors,  and  in  1853 
he  again  crossed  over  into  Canada. 

About  this  time  Israel  Sloane  was  sent  to  Canada  by 
the  Board  of  Missions,  which  had  then  been  organized, 
and  a  few  years  later,  in  1856,  the  Canada,  now  Ontario, 
Conference,  was  formed,  with  six  ministers  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two  members.  The  place  of  meeting  was 
Beverly  Chapel,  in  Sheffield,  Bishop  Glossbrenner  pre- 
siding. Five  of  the  names  were  as  follows :  Israel 
Sloane,  J.  A.  Cornell,  C.  Moore,  A.  Cornell,  and  A.  B. 
Sherk.  All  these  men  are  deceased.  The  present  number 
of  the  ministers  is  twenty-one,  of  whom  twelve  are  in  the 
itinerancy.  Some  among  these  are  J.  P.  Cowling,  I.  W. 
Groh,  George  H.  Backus,  J.  F.  Durkee,  J.  Mager.  The 
lay  membership  of  the  conference  is  1,426  ;  the  Sunday- 


600  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

school  enrollment,  2,195.  The  large  percentage  of  the 
Sunday-school  membership  over  that  of  the  church  gives 
good  promise  of  a  larger  future.  This  conference,  with 
others,  suffered  much  from  the  effects  of  ultra-radicalism. 
The  title  to  all  its  church  property  being  now  permar 
nently  settled,  the  opportunities  for  future  success  will  be 
greatly  enlarged. 

IV.       THE   PARKERSBURG   CONFERENCE. 

Men  of  heroic  mold  were  they  who  in  extending  the 
work  of  the  Virginia  Conference  went  westward  and  set 
up  the  banners  of  the  Church  in  the  mountainous  regions 
of  western  A^irginia.  The  first  of  these  pioneer  preachers 
was  Moses  Michael,  who  came  into  what  is  now  West 
Virginia  in  May,  1836.  He  began  preaching  in  Mason 
County,  on  the  Ohio  River.  On  August  20,  1837,  he 
organized  the  first  church.  Jacob  Rhinehart  and  Henry 
Jones  joined  Mr.  Michael,  and  the  work  was  soon  extended 
into  other  counties.  Until  the  separate  organization  of 
the  Parkersburg  Conference  other  ministers  were  sent  over 
from  the  Virginia,  as  presiding  elders,  circuit  preachers, 
or  missionaries,  to  build  up  the  work.  Among  these  were 
Dr.  George  W.  Statton,  Dr.  Z.  Warner,  J.  W.  Perry,  J. 
Bachtel,  H.  Lower,  and  I.  K.  Statton.  Some  of  these 
recrossed  the  mountains  at  different  times  to  serve  the 
various  charges.  Others  remained,  thus  becoming  the 
nucleus  of  the  future  conference. 

The  conference  was  organized  as  a  separate  body  in 
1858,  at  Centerville,  in  Tyler  County,  Bishop  Glossbrenner 
presiding.  The  charter  members  were  J.  Bachtel,  Z. 
Warner,  J.  W.  Perry,  J.  W.  Miles,  L.  Hess,  AVilliam  James, 
EU  Martin,  John  P.  White,  and  D.  Engle — nine  in  all. 
Of  these  original  members  only  one  now  remains,  J.  W. 
Miles,  far  advanced  in  years.     In  later  years  were  added 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  601 

the  names  of  J.  L.  Hensley,  M.D.,  S.  J.  Graham,  E.  Harper, 
E.  Stuttler,  and  George  W.  Hensley.  Mr.  Bachtel  had  been 
an  influential  member  of  the  Virginia  Conference,  being 
closely  associated  with  Bishop  Mark  wood.  Dr.  Warner, 
for  many  years  a  leading  figure  in  the  General  Con- 
ference, and  greatly  honored  in  his  own  conference,  has 
been  elsewhere  spoken  of.  J.  W.  Perry,  after  rendering 
long  and  distinguished  service,  died  a  little  over  a  year 
ago,  aged  about  seventy.  Dr.  J.  L.  Hensley  retired  a  few 
years  ago  from  regular  itinerant  work  ;  he  now  resides  at 
Marion,  Ohio,  gives  much  attention  to  temperance  and 
other  reforms,  and  was  a  few  years  ago  elected  to  the 
Ohio  legislature.  W.  M.  Weekley,  now  of  the  Rock  River 
Conference,  and  church-erection  secretary,  gave  twenty 
years  of  service  to  this  conference. 

The  field  covered  by  the  Parkersburg  Conference  is  one 
of  the  most  rugged  and  difficult  to  travel  in  the  entire 
Church.  But  its  men  are  hardy,  courageous,  and  devoted, 
and  they  win  success.  The  conference  has  eighty-seven 
ministers,  and  a  general  membership  of  11,400,  being 
surpassed  in  tliis  respect  only  by  the  Allegheny  Confer- 
ence.    The  Sunday-school  enrollment  is  13,683. 

V.       THE    KANSAS    CONFERENCE. 

The  Kansas  Conference  was  organized  as  early  as  1857. 
Its  first  years  were  those  of  the  border-ruffianism  which 
sought,  by  terrorism  and  ruthless  murder,  to  force  the 
institution  of  slavery  upon  the  settlers  of  the  then  new 
Territory,  In  common  with  others  wdio  stood  for  freedom 
and  for  their  rights  as  citizens,  our  2)eople  experienced 
the  red  baptism  of  blood.  Their  pronounced  antislavery 
sentiments  made  them  especially  the  objects  of  suspicion 
and  the  targets  of  murderous  assault. 

The  earliest  United    Brethren   minister  in   Kansas  was 


602  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

W.  A.  Cardwell,  of  the  White  River  Conference,  who  settled 
near  Lecompton  in  1855.  Here  he  estabHshed  a  society, 
and  here  the  first  United  Brethren  church  was  built.  After 
him  came  Samuel  S.  Snyder,  of  the  Allegheny  Conference, 
of  whose  death,  in  1861,  by  the  hands  of  the  raiders,  men- 
tion has  been  made.  In  1857  came  J.  S.  Gingerich,  also 
of  the  Allegheny  Conference.  Soon  after,  these  were  joined 
by  Josiah  Terrell  and  William  Huffman,  father  of  Dr. 
G.  M.  Huffman,  both  of  the  White  River  Conference. 
These,  with  several  others  who  joined  them,  nine  in 
all,  assembled  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Snyder,  near  Law- 
rence, on  October  30,  1857,  where  they  organized  the 
Kansas  Conference.  Bishop  Edwards  was  present,  and 
presided.  Among  those  who  came  later  are  found  the 
names  of  Samuel  Kretzinger,  H.  :M.  Green,  E.  Shepherd, 
and  Solomon  Weaver.  A  number  of  these  pioneers  have 
died.  Huffman  and  Gingerich,  both  quite  aged,  are 
living,  the  latter  at  Pasadena,  California.  y\mong  those 
best  known  in  the  conference  now  are  Dr.  G.  M.  Huffman, 
Dr.  J.  H.  Snyder,  J.  R.  Meredith,  E.  B.  Slade,  F.  R. 
Mitchell,  Dr.  C.  M.  Brooke,  S.  C.  Coblentz,  E.  Shepherd, 
J.  H.  Bonebrake,  and  J.  B.  Deever.  Dr.  H.  D.  Healy, 
earlier  a  member  of  this  conference,  is  now  connected 
with  the  Rock  River.  R.  Loggan,  a  number  of  years  a 
prominent  member,  removed  to  Oregon,  where  he  went 
with  the  seceders. 

It  is  difficult  now,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  third 
of  a  century,  to  reaUze  the  hardships  and  perils  these 
pioneer  preachers  were  called  upon  to  endure.  Some  of 
them,  as  many  in  the  Virginias,  literally  passed  through 
fire,  being  often  waylaid  and  shot  at  by  assassins,  had 
their  houses  broken  into,  and  were  themselves  dragged 
into  prison.  Their  persecutors  sought  to  intimidate  them 
by  threats  and  violence,  and  by  repeated  assaults  to  drive 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  603 

them  out  of  the  country.  But  they  were  brave  men, 
after  the  true  apostolic  type,  and  continued  to  preach  in 
the  presence  of  armed  foes,  often  themselves  guarded  by 
rifles  in  the  hands  of  those  who  came  to  hear.  Much  of 
this  experience  occurred  before  the  actual  outbreak  of  the 
War,  between  the  time  of  their  organization  and  1861. 

The  conference  has  yielded  freely  of  its  ministers  and 
people  for  the  formation  of  other  conferences,  and  now 
numbers  fifty  preachers,  thirty-two  of  whom  are  itin- 
erant, with  4,151  in  the  laity. 

VI.       THE    MINNESOTA    CONFERENCE. 

In  the  fall  of  1854  Rev.  Edmund  Clow  removed  from 
Carroll  County,  Illinois,  to  Pine  Creek  Valley,  in  Winona 
County,  Minnesota.  Finding  the  people  scattered  about 
as  sheep  having  no  shepherd,  he  began  at  once  to  preach 
the  word,  and  good  results  immediately  followed.  In  the 
autumn  of  1855  he  attended  the  Rock  River  Conference, 
reported  his  work,  joined  the  conference,  was  ordained  by 
Bishop  Edwards,  and  sent  back  to  his  field,  which  was 
recognized  as  Pine  Creek  Mission. 

The  continued  labors  of  Mr.  Clow  were  greatly  blessed, 
and  among  his  converts  in  the  winter  of  185G-5T  was 
M.  L.  Tibbetts,  who  at  once  began  to  declare  the  gospel 
of  Christ.  The  Board  of  Missions  sent  to  this  field,  in 
1855,  J.  W.  Fulkerson,  who  at  once  began  work.  Others 
also  came,  and  when  the  Minnesota  Conference  was 
organized,  in  the  f^ill  of  1857,  by  Bishop  L.  Davis,  there 
were  present  these  three,  with  John  Haney  and  John 
Murrell.  Mr.  Fulkerson  was  made  presiding  elder,  with 
a  mission  to  serve,  and  the  rest  were  each  appointed  to 
missions. 

Later  came  I.  L.  Buchwalter,  J.  J.  Vaughn,  N.  E.  Gard- 
ner, S.  D.  Kemerer,  0.  A.  Phillips,  and  J.  T.  AUaman,  all 


604  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CUBIST 

of  them  faithful  toilers  in  the  Lord's  field.  The  names 
of  all  of  these  became  well  known.  Some  of  them  have 
removed  to  other  conferences  and  some  are  with  the  Master. 
Clow,  Fulkerson,  Tibbetts,  and  Haney  are  living,  and 
remain  with  the  conference.  They  are  all  far  advanced 
in  years,  and  have  each  seen  much  of  wearing  pioneer 
experience,  traveling  over  long  distances  where  there  were 
no  roads,  and  often  exposed  to  all  the  force  of  high  winds 
and  low  temperatures.  Among  other  names  now  familiar 
in  the  working  forces  of  the  conference  are  N.  S.  Hankins, 
U.  A.  Cook,  E.  J.  Reed,  and  I.  X.  Cain,  missionary  to  Africa. 
The  ministers  of  this  conference,  as  of  many  others,  in 
all  the  years  until  now  found  themselves  practically 
debarred,  by  the  restrictive  legislation  of  the  Church, 
from  the  cities  and  larger  towns,  and  the  fruits  of  their 
revivals  were  frequently  gathered  by  other  denominations. 
Hence  their  work  has  not  reached  the  proportions  to  which 
the  amount  of  labor  expended  was  fairly  entitled.  But 
the  ministers  are  men  of  courage,  and  a  larger  future 
is  before  them. 

VII.       THE    MISSOURI    CONFERENCE. 

The  first  effort  to  establish  the  United  Brethren  Church 
in  Missouri  was  made  in  1853,  Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  being 
in  that  year  sent  by  the  Board  of  Missions  into  the  south- 
western part  of  the  State.  He  was  soon  joined  by  J. 
Terrell  and  others,  and  in  1854  a  conference  was  held, 
Bishop  Edwards  presiding.  About  this  time  the  border 
war  was  begun  by  the  abettors  of  slavery,  who  sought 
to  force  the  dark  institution  across  the  line  into  Kansas. 
During  the  years  of  intense  excitement  which  followed, 
the  small  United  Brethren  societies  made  httle  progress, 
and  the  conferences  ceased  to  be  held. 

Meanwhile,   the   Des  Moines   Conference  was   extending 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  605 

its  work  across  into  the  northern  part  of  ^Missouri,  and  on 
October  18,  1858,  the  preachers  of  that  conference  laboring 
in  Missouri  convened  in  a  regular  conference  at  Atlanta, 
in  Macon  County.  Bishop  Edwards  was  present  and 
organized  the  conference.  Among  the  preachers  present 
are  found  the  names  of  Moses  Michael,  who  was  elected 
presiding  elder,  and  W.  P.  Shanklin,  John  Osborn,  J.  May- 
field,  G.  H.  Busby,  J.  II.  IMcVey,  Thomas  Perkins,  W.  11. 
Burns,  J.  T.  Timmons,  Benjamin  Wade,  Jabez  Harrison, 
and  Alpheus  Minear.  This  conference  was  considered  a 
reorganization  of  the  work  in  Missouri,  in  a  different 
locality,  and  was  called  the  Missouri  Conference.  The 
lay  membership  reported  at  this  time  was  348.  At  the 
second  session,  held  in  the  spring  of  1850,  this  number 
had  increased  to  809. 

Other  names  of  ministers  were  soon  added,  as  E.  W. 
Carpenter,  D.  E.  Statton,  A.  W.  Geeslin,  D.  A.  Beauchamp, 
William  Beauchamp,  Lee  Fisher,  A.  D.  Thomas,  J.  Herbert, 
and  0.  P.  Louthan.  Of  these  early  members  of  the  con- 
ference a  number  have  died.  Geeslin  and  Thomas  went 
with  the  radicals.  Among  those  now  best  known  in  the 
conference  are  U.  P.  Wardrip,  President  W.  S.  Reese,  of 
York  College,  U.  0.  Deputy,  Joseph  Bays,  W.  0.  Wallace, 
S.  T.  Wallace,  A.  IM.  Scovill,  M.  Bratcher,\and  I.  W.  McRae. 
President  F.  A.  Z.  Kumler,  of  Avalon  College,  elsewhere 
spoken  of,  is  a  layman  in  this  conference.  The  confer- 
ence numbers  thirty-seven  preachers  and  3,212  in  the 
laity,  with  a  vSunday-school  enrollment  of  3,413  and  a 
young  people's  membership  of  651. 

VIII.       THE    WISCONSIN    CONFERENCE. 

The  earliest  pioneer  of  the  missionary  work  in  Wisconsin 
seems  to  have  been  G.  G.  Nickey,  a  man  of  quiet  bearing, 
whose  presence  was  often  seen  in  the  General  Conferences 


606  THE  rXITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

of  other  years.  ]\Ir.  Lawrence  in  his  history  says  that  the 
first  society  was  organized  by  James  Davis,  of  whom  he 
speaks  as  "prominent  and  most  beloved  among"  the  early 
missionaries.  His  name,  however,  does  not  appear  with 
those  who  were  present  at  the  organization.  These  mis- 
sionaries had  gone  across  into  Wisconsin  from  Illinois. 
Their  work  attracted  the  attention  of  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1857,  and  that  body  directed  that  it  be  formed 
into  a  new  conference.  The  organization  was  accordingly 
effected,  the  first  session  being  held  at  Rutland,  in  Dane 
County,  on  September,  16,  1858,  Bishop  L.  Davis  presiding. 
In  the  list  of  appointments  to  charges  the  names  of  twenty 
ministers  appear,  with  G.  G.  Nickey  and  S.  L.  Eldred  as 
presiding  elders.  The  other  names  are  S.  C.  Zuck,  S. 
Sutton,  J.  AV.  Reed,  J.  Haskins,  E.  S.  Bunco,  J.  Nichols, 
S.  Knox,  F.  Outcalt,  R.  Powell,  N.  Smith,  G.  Kite,  AV.  W. 
Simpkins,  B.  Howard,  D.  Harrington,  E.  AV.  Canfield,  J. 
Payne,  J.  B.  L.  Winter,  R.  Crozier.  Five  hundred  and 
fifty-four  members  were  reported.  This  vigorous  young 
conference  grew  rapidly,  and  in  1861  it  was  divided,  the 
southern  portion  retaining  the  name  Wisconsin,  and  the 
remainder  becoming  the  Fox  River  Conference.  The  two 
bodies  have  since  been  reunited. 

Many  of  the  older  members  of  the  General  Conferences 
will  remember  the  presence  of  Nickey,  Sutton,  Eldred,  and 
Reed  in  the  sessions  of  that  bod}^  Sutton  was  a  frequent 
contributor  to  the  columns  of  the  Religious  Telescope  thirty 
years  ago.  Reed,  now  well  up  in  years,  still  remains. 
Among  the  younger  men  who  have  acquired  prominence 
are  A.  J.  Hood,  twice  in  the  General  Conference,  seven 
3'ears  presiding  elder,  A.  D.  Whitney,  a  number  of  years 
elder,  three  times  in  the  General  Conference,  and  J.  H. 
Richards,  a  graduate  of  Union  Biblical  Seminar}^,  and 
member  of  the  General  Conference  of  1893.     The  confer- 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  607 

ence  at  the  |)resent  time  numbers  thirty-five  ministers, 
of  whom  thirty-one  are  itinerants,  and  in  the  laity  2,070. 
Its  Sunday-school  enrollment  is  2,839  ;  its  young  people's 
societies  have  776  names. 

IX.       THE    CALIFORNIA    CONFERENCE. 

In  the  year  1858  Israel  Sloane,  whose  work  as  a  mis- 
sionary in  Canada  had  been  blessed  with  signal  success, 
volunteered  to  go,  at  his  own  expense,  to  the  Pacific 
Coast,  and  open  a  mission  in  California.  The  divine 
blessing  attended  his  preaching,  and  in  1861  the  General 
Conference  recognized  his  work  by  directing  the  organi- 
zation of  a  conference  in  the  Golden  State,  and  also  by 
electing  Daniel  Shuck  as  bishop  for  the  work  on  the  coast. 
The  reader  has  seen  that  because  of  the  War  breaking 
out  Bishop  Shuck  was  greatly  delayed  in  reaching  his 
field.  Meanwhile,  Mr.  Sloane  was  joined  by  other  min- 
isters, and  in  September,  1862,  an  informal  conference 
was  held.  The  first  regular  conference,  from  which  the 
organization  is  dated,  was  held  in  1864,  after  the  arrival 
of  Bishop  Shuck. 

Among  the  early  laborers  in  the  conference,  in  addi- 
tion to  Mr.  Sloane  and  Bishop  Shuck,  were  Nelson 
Hubbard,  J.  Ackerson,  J.  W.  Harrow,  and  C.  W.  Gil- 
lett,  tlie  last  named  still  surviving.  Among  those  now 
best  known  in  the  work  are  J.  L.  Field,  T.  J.  Bander, 
J.  S.  Pitman,  Francis  Fisher,  A.  G.  Wright,  and  D.  S. 
Shiflett.  !Mr.  Pitman  is  pastor  of  the  church  in  Los 
Angeles,  for  the  church  building  of  which  the  young 
people's  societies  are  contributing  money.  Other  churches 
are  located  at  Sacramento,  Riverside,  Woodbridge,  Gridley, 
and  other  points.  San  Joaquin  Valley  College  has  been 
elsewhere  spoken  of. 

The  Church  in  California  suffered  seriouslv  durinor  the 


608  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

protracted  iinti-secret-society  agitation.  Its  way  of  suc- 
cess in  the  cities  and  larger  towns,  as  in  many  places 
elsewhere,  was  effectually  barred.  Some  of  its  ministers 
and  members,  less  in  proportion  than  in  some  other  con- 
ferences, went  with  the  seceders.  With  this  trouble  hap- 
pily ended,  the  conference  has  before  it  a  freer  field. 

X.       THE    DES    MOINES    CONFERENCE. 

The  original  Des  Moines  Conference  was  formed  by 
separation  from  the  Iowa  Conference  in  the  year  1853. 
In  that  division  the  northern  portion  of  the  conference 
retained  the  name  of  Iowa,  and  the  southern  part  became 
the  Des  ^loines,  taking  its  name  from  the  Des  ^loines 
River.  This  conference  rapidly  pushed  its  work  westward, 
and  in  1861  it  was,  in  turn,  divided,  forming  the  East 
Des  Moines  and  West  Des  Moines  conferences.  Thus 
their  history  flowed  on  in  two  names  until,  by  the  act 
of  the  General  Conference  of  1889,  the  East  Des  IMoines 
was  asrain  united  with  the  Iowa  Conference.  This  union 
left  two  conferences  in  the  State  of  Iowa,  with  the  divid- 
ing line  running  north  and  south,  instead  of  east  and 
west  as  at  the  first.  The  AVest  Des  IMoines  now,  by  the 
same  act  of  the  General  Conference,  dropped  the  prefix 
West,  and  took  the  original  name  Des  Moines.  Its  ter- 
ritory is  the  western  half  of  the  State. 

The  first  separate  session  of  the  West  Des  ^loines  (now 
Des  Moines)  Conference,  after  the  division  of  18G1,  was 
held  at  Panora,  Guthrie  County,  on  September  12,  1862, 
Bishop  Markwood  presiding.  Fourteen  ministers  attended 
this  conference,  as  follows  :  William  Cr.  Eckles,  R.  Loggan, 
J.  Simpson,  E.  Flaugh,  S.  Brooks,  J.  Burns,  R.  Armstrong, 
J.  1.  Baber,  G.  P.  Fisher,  J.  A.  Kenaston,  William  Jacobs, 
J.  M.  Dosh,  J.  B.  Hamilton,  and  A.  Randall.  Four  others 
joined  at  this  session  :     J.  E.  Ham,   M.  S.  Dickey,  A.  N. 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  609 

Baker,  and  William  Jenkins.  Twenty-two  members  were 
absent,  among  whom  were  Ira  B.  Ryan  and  J.  B.  Carr. 
Only  three  of  the  original  members,  William  Jacobs,  J.  Simp- 
son, and  J.  B.  Carr,  are  now  living.  The  conference  had 
seventeen  charges  and  thirteen  itinerants.  Cooperation  and 
support  for  Western  College  were  pledged  at  this  first  session. 

Among  other  ministers  in  the  Des  Moines  Conference, 
as  the  years  were  passing,  were  found  the  names  of  L.  S. 
Grove,  John  and  W.  S.  De  Moss,  R.  Thrasher,  A.  H. 
Mitchell,  A.  Schwimley  (now  in  Colorado),  D.  S.  Shiflett 
(now  in  California),  A.  Corbin,  and  others  who  became  w^ell 
known.  For  many  years  past  George  Miller,  D.D.,  has 
stood  as  the  recognized  head  of  the  conference.  Dr.  Miller 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  1837,  became  a  minister  in  the 
Auglaize  Conference,  transferred  to  West  Des  Moines  (now 
Des  Moines)  in  1871 ;  has  been  honored  by  his  brethren 
with  the  office  of  presiding  elder  for  twenty-four  consecu- 
tive years,  was  elected  to  the  General  Conference  of  1877, 
and  to  each  session  since,  has  long  been  a  member  of 
several  of  the  general  church  boards,  as  well  as  of  the 
conference  boards,  proving  himself  in  these  various  rela- 
tions one  of  the  most  practical  and  useful  men  of  the 
Church.  Others  in  this  conference  who  have  come  well 
to  the  front  are  L.  H.  Bufkin,  G.  0.  Porter,  W.  F.  Cronk, 
and  E.  W.  Curtis.  The  last  named  has  been  for  some 
years  pastor  of  the  church  in  East  Des  ^loines,  and  ren- 
ders a  wider  service  as  editor  of  the  Parish  Outlool: 

The  Des  Moines  Conference  has  long  recognized  the 
right  of  women  to  proclaim  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  is 
ready  to  concede  their  right  to  other  responsible  posi- 
tions. Mrs.  Elizabeth  De  INIoss,  better  known  afterward 
as  Mrs.  Funkhouser,  and  Phebe  Benton  were  among 
them  as  highly  esteemed  laborers.  The  former  was  the 
mother   of   the    De    Moss   brothers,    and   cooperated    with 

89 


610  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

them  effectually  in  the  work  of  the  gospel.  She  was 
also  the  grandmother  of  Mrs.  S.  J.  Staves,  one  of  the 
first  two  woman  delegates  in  the  General  Conference  in 
the  Church,  in  the  session  of  1893,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  her 
associate  in  this  conference  being  Mrs.  Mattie  A.  Brewer, 
of  the  Lower  Wabash  Conference. 

XI.       THE   MICHIGAN    CONFERENCE. 

This  conference  was  organized  in  the  year  1862  at 
Matherton,  Ionia  County,  Michigan,  with  sixteen  mem- 
bers, namely,  James  Nixon,  W.  S.  Titus,  J.  B.  Parmelee, 
B.  Hamp,  J.  Jacobs,  G.  C.  Fox,  W.  H.  Stone,  J.  Berry, 
J.  Myers,  H.  Rathbun,  H.  T.  Barnaby,  J.  Rider,  A.  Lee, 
D.  Strayer,  G.  S.  Lake,  and  J.  Warner.  Its  growth  for 
some  years  was  rapid,  and  in  1877  it  was  divided,  form- 
ing the  North  Michigan.  Later  on,  the  bright  promise 
began  to  be  clouded  through  the  intensity  of  the  anti- 
secret-society  agitation,  a  condition  which  grew  worse 
when  the  General  Conference  adopted  measures  provid- 
ing for  revision.  Several  of  its  leading  men  were  among 
the  foremost  in  the  Church  in  the  radical  movement,  one 
of  the  number  winning  a  bishop's  seat  in  the  radical 
church.  With  these  local  conditions,  and  the  church 
property  becoming  involved  in  lawsuits,  growth  naturally 
ceased.  The  property  question  having  at  last  been  put  in 
better  form  by  the  courts,  it  may  be  hoped  that  a  brighter 
future  lies  ahead. 

The  conference  has  a  number  of  devoted  and  hard- 
working men,  who  have  the  welfare  of  the  Church  at 
heart.  Foremost  among  these  is  W.  N.  Breidenstine,  a 
brave  soldier  of  the  War,  who  carries  a  wound  received 
at  the  battle  of  Petersburg  in  1864.  He  was  ordained 
by  Bishop  Edwards  in  1871,  and  has  continued  in  the 
active  ministry  since,  serving  as  presiding  elder  for  eight 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  ,SINCE  1853  611 

years,  and  was  iu  the  General  Conference  of  1893.  Toil- 
ing with  his  brethren  in  tlie  conference  faithfully  under 
many  discouragements,  he  looks  to  the  better  reward 
to  come.  lie  is  now  serving  as  conference  missionary 
organizer,  with  his  residence  at  Grand  Rapids.  B.  H. 
Mowers  is  another  of  the  earnest  toilers  in  this  confer- 
ence. Ordained  to  the  ministry  in  1871,  he  has  served 
the  conference  as  pastor  and  presiding  elder,  and  was  in 
the  General  Conferences  of  1885  and  1893.  G.  S.  Lake 
was  for  a  number  of  years  an  efficient  worker  in  the 
Michigan  Conference.  James  Carter,  a  man  of  much 
worth,  remembered  by  many  of  the  older  members  of 
the  General  Conferences,  went  to  his  final  reward  in 
November,  1878. 

Chief  among  those  who  went  out  of  this  conference 
and  the  Church  with  tlie  radical  secession  were  II.  T. 
Barnaby,  AV.  S.  Titus,  and  B.  Hamp.  Mr.  Barnaby  and 
Mr.  Titus  for  many  years  exerted  considerable  influence 
in  the  General  Conference. 

XII.       THE    CENTRAL    ILLINOIS    CONFERENCE. 

The  Central  Illinois  Conference  was  formed  by  separa- 
tion from  the  Illinois  Conference,  on  September  28,  1865, 
the  initial  session  being  held  in  the  city  of  Decatur,  Illinois, 
Bishop  Weaver  presiding.  The  following  names  were 
enrolled  :  AI.  Ambrose,  L.  D.  Ambrose,  G.  AVenner,  A.  L. 
Best,  R.  M.  Parks,  L.  ]\I.  Robinson,  AV.  Crandall,  IT.  T. 
Van  Gordon,  M.  T.  Chew,  J.  Herbert,  II.  Ililbish,  A.  A. 
Shesler,  J.  AV.  Elliott,  J.  I.  Robinson,  I.  Fink,  I.  AV.  Mason, 
S.  P.  Hoy,  J.  C.  Ross,  J.  AV.  Fisher,  A.  B.  Powell,  D.  Folk, 
John  Hoobler,  G.  P.  Fisher,  F.  Gorsline,  H.  Stoddard,  I. 
Blake,  AV.  F.  Bishop,  S.  Swick,  G.  M.  Freese,  L.  S.  Cornell, 
G.  AV.  Hall. 

This  conference  entered   into  its  work  witli  good   liope. 


612  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

but  failing  to  enter  the  larger  towns  and  cities,  and  to 
reach  many  other  citizens  of  the  best  classes,  largely 
through  the  limitations  imposed  by  the  rigid  anti-secret- 
society  legislation,  much  of  the  best  opportunity  for  success 
was  missed.  A  member  of  the  conference  in  a  letter  very 
fitly  says  :  "  A  rich  soil,  enterprising  farmers  and  business 
men,  fine  railroad  facilities  and  good  markets,  excellent 
free  schools  and  colleges,  and  a  generally  intelligent  people, 
had  we  put  ourselves  into  true  relations  to  the  best  of  them 
we  could  have  entered  a  most  inviting  field  for  building 
up  a  first-class  conference."  AVith  the  changed  legislative 
conditions  of  the  Church,  the  ministers  in  this  field  are 
now  hoping  for  a  brighter  and  larger  future.  Among  its 
newer  and  recently  added  working  forces  are  found  a 
number  of  devoted  and  able  preachers  and  pastors,  among 
whom  are  L.  Field,  P.  H.  Wagner,  D.  0.  Gifiin,  Z.  T.  Hat- 
field, J.  A.  F.  King,  H.  T.  Athey,  and  R.  H.  Beck.  The 
conference,  according  to  the  latest  statistics,  has  a  mem- 
bership of  thirty-six  ministers,  with  3,498  in  the  laity 
and  4,324  in  its  Sunday  schools. 

XIII.       THE    COLUMBIA    RIVER    CONFERENCE. 

The  Columbia  River  Conference,  originally  named  the 
Cascade,  and  then  the  AValla  Walla,  is  located  in  eastern 
Oregon,  Washington,  and  northwestern  Idaho.  It  w^as 
formed  by  separation  from  the  Oregon  Conference,  and 
was  organized  in  September,  1865.  Bishop  D.  Shuck 
presided  at  the  session.  The  early  leaders  in  the  confer- 
ence, as  in  the  original  work  in  Oregon,  were  T.  J.  Connor 
and  J.  Kenoyer.  A  number  of  the  pioneers  are  living, 
and  remain  at  their  post  in  the  ministry  and  Church. 
Kenoyer,  however,  went  off"  with  the  radicals.  The  con- 
ference at  the  present  time  has  a  ministerial  membership 
of   twenty-three,   some   of   the   best   known   among    them 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  613 

being  G.  W.  Sickafoose,  Homer  Gallaher,  J.  J.  Gallaher, 
and  W.  E,.  Lloyd.  The  conference  has  a  general  mem- 
bership of  1,118,  with  951  in  its  Sunday  schools,  and  290 
in  its  young  people's  societies.  The  conference  has  sought 
to  encourage  church  education,  but  the  experiment  with 
AVashington  Seminary,  at  Huntsville,  has  resulted  in  em- 
barrassment, the  church  membership  being  insufficient  to 
provide  the  requisite  financial  support. 

XIV.       THE    TENNESSEE    CONFERENCE. 

In  the  year  1856  John  Ruebush,  of  the  Virginia  Con- 
ference, was  a2:>pointed  by  the  Board  of  Missions  to  visit 
east  Tennessee.  He  at  once  began  preaching,  and,  with 
the  divine  blessing  attending  his  word,  considerable  num- 
bers were  converted.  He  formed  several  societies,  estab- 
lished a  number  of  regular  appointments,  and  began  also 
the  work  of  church  building.  With  the  breaking  out  of 
the  War  the  work  was  much  hindered,  and  for  a  time 
suspended.  Later  Mr.  Ruebush  resumed  his  preaching, 
and  A.  E.  Evans  and  D.  A.  Beauchamp  came  to  his 
help.  In  1866  Bishop  Glossbrenner  met  these  three 
men  in  Otterbein  Chapel,  Greene  County,  Tennessee,  and 
organized  the  first  formal  conference.  Enos  Keezel  and 
R.  J.  Bishop  were  received  as  licentiates.  J.  W.  Bowen 
was  added  in  1868,  and  J.  A.  Small  in  1869.  Jonathan 
Bales  and  his  wife  were  the  first  to  join  the  Ignited 
Brethren  Church  in  Tennessee.  Other  ministers,  as  time 
passed,  were  added,  as  Joseph  Waldorf,  Edwin  Horner, 
Richard  Owen,  and  later  J.  K.  and  Mrs.  A.  L.  Billheimer. 
In  1877  the  conference  founded  Edwards  Academy,  at 
Greenville,  Tennessee.  In  1881  it  was  removed  to  AVhite 
Pine,  where  it  is  just  now  entering  upon  a  larger  pros- 
perity. An  account  of  the  institution  has  been  given 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


614  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

About  two  years  ago  a  movement  which  had  been  for 
some  time  in  process  of  development  began  to  take  defi- 
nite form,  resulting  in  considerable  additions  both  of 
ministers  and  laymen  to  the  United  Brethren  Church. 
The  greater  number  of  these  came  from  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  some  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  and  a  few  from  other  denominations. 
Those  coming  from  the  Methodist  churches  were  attracted 
chiefly  by  the  milder  form  of  episcopal  government  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church.  There  was  for  them  no 
possible  inducement  in  material  or  worldly  considerations. 
They  could  not  look  for  larger  salaries,  or  easier  fields  of 
labor,  or  lighter  sacrifices,  nor  was  the  prospect  of  official 
promotion  better  than  in  the  churches  from  which  they 
came.  Nor  could  they  bring  with  them  any  of  the  church - 
houses  or  other  property  which  they  had  aided  in  building. 
No  thought  or  hope  of  this  kind  was  entertained  :  much 
less  was  any  effort  made  to  do  so.  Influenced  by  prin- 
ciple alone,  and  in  the  face  of  present  loss,  they  chose  to 
cast  in  their  lot  with  us,  and  they  have  addressed  them- 
selves earnestly  to  the  work  in  their  new  relations.  About 
twenty-five  ministers  in  all,  with  a  considerable  number 
of  members,  have  thus  connected  themselves  with  the 
United  Brethren.  Among  the  leading  ministers  in  the 
movement  are  Dr.  T.  C.  Carter,  Rev.  AV.  L.  Richardson, 
J.  D.  Droke,  and  others.  They  have  been  given  a  cordial 
welcome  by  the  United  Brethren  Church,  not  in  any  spirit 
of  proselytism,  for  no  proselyting  was  done,  nor  from  any 
desire  to  reap  where  others  have  sown,  but  with  an  open 
heart  and  door  to  receive  any  persons  who  love  our  com- 
mon Lord  and  desire  to  cast  their  lot  with  us. 

The  latest  statistics  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  show 
a  membership  of  twenty-three  itinerants  and  the  same 
number  of  local  ministers,  and  1,857  communicants.     The 


CONFEBENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  615 

Sunday-school  enrollment  is  2,105.  Two  new  conferences 
have  also  been  formed  within  the  past  two  years,  which 
are  to  be  spoken  of  farther  on. 

XV.       THE    EAST    GERMAN    CONFERENCE. 

The  East  German  Conference  was  formed  by  separation 
from  the  East  Pennsylvania.  Its  first  separate  session  was 
held  March  4,  1870,  Bishop  AVeaver  presiding,  assisted  by 
Bishops  Glossbrenner  and  Dickson.  The  names  of  twenty- 
eight  ministers  were  enrolled,  as  follows :  John  Binckley, 
J.  W.  Boughton,  John  G.  Clair,  L.  W.  Craumer,  J.  B. 
Daugherty,  D.  S.  Early,  S.  Etter,  L.  Fleisher,  J.  D.  A. 
Garman,  H.  H.  Gelbach,  H.  E.  Hachman,  D.  Hoffman, 
J.  W.  Kunkel,  Job  Light,  John  Lowery,  J.  II.  Mark,  John 
Meyer,  S.  V.  Mohn,  Simon  Noll,  J.  Runk,  J.  Ruhl,  Jacob 
Schropp,  James  Shoop,  A.  Steigerwald,  G.  Stoll,  D.  Strick- 
ler,  Gideon  Weidman,  Joseph  Young. 

Gelbach,  Hoffman,  and  Daugherty  were  regarded  as 
among  the  leaders  of  this  conference  in  its  earlier  years. 
The  first  two  have  died,  and  Daugherty  has  returned  to 
the  East  Pennsylvania  Conference.  Hoftman  was  ordained 
a  minister  in  1851,  and  gave  thirty -seven  years  of  faithful 
labor  to  the  ministry.  Gelbach  was  a  man  of  impressive 
personal  presence,  an  able  preacher  and  successful  winner 
of  souls.  He  died  in  1886.  Job  Light  was  a  man  of 
slight  figure,  but  a  strong  and  successful  preacher,  whether 
serving  as  presiding  elder  or  as  a  pastor.  He  died  sud- 
denly in  1889  while  conducting  an  extensive  revival  in  his 
church  in  Reading.  Henry  Schropp  and  John  Doerkson 
were  each  men  of  power  and  greatly  esteemed.  Doerkson, 
born  in  Germany,  was  a  man  of  superior  culture,  j^oung  and 
progressive  in  spirit,  and  a  fresh,  vigorous  preacher.  Jacob 
Fritz,  ordained  in  1857,  preached  for  thirty-eight  years, 
leaving  a  good  record  of  industry  and  devotion. 


616  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

The  East  German  Conference  has  now  sixty-four  preach- 
ers, of  whom  forty-nine  are  in  the  itinerancy.  Its  general 
membership  is  6,552.  Of  these  nearly  one-half  are  enrolled 
in  the  young  people's  societies,  the  number  being  3,107. 
Its  Sunday-school  enrollment  is  similarly  large,  being 
10,971.  These  facts  indicate  a  large  promise  for  the 
future  of  the  conference.  Among  the  present  active  force 
in  the  conference  are  still  found  some  of  those  who  assisted 
in  the  organization,  as  Mark,  Shoop,  Runk,  and  Noll,  the 
last  now  old,  and  earher  a  very  successful  evangehst.  Among 
the  younger  men  are  W.  H.  Uhler,  C.  S.  Miller,  A.  Graul, 
and  S.  M.  Hummel.  The  conference,  as  a  body,  possesses 
the  stanch  elements  requisite  for  solid  and  durable  work. 

XVI.       THE    NEOSHO    CONFERENCE. 

The  Neosho  Conference,  spread  out  over  the  fertile  fields 
of  the  Neosho  Valley,  is  the  fair  daughter  of  the  Kansas 
Conference.  Its  first  separate  session  was  held  on  April 
16,  1870,  Bishop  Dickson  presiding.  The  place  of  meeting 
was  Greeley,  in  Anderson  County,  Kansas.  The  names 
of  nineteen  ministers  were  enrolled,  and  there  were 
three  hundred  and  thirty-nine  in  the  general  membership. 
The  ministers  were  as  follows  :  J.  W.  Arnold,  S.  E.  Ger- 
many, S.  G.  Elliott,  A.  P.  Floyd,  WilHam  James,  John 
Osborn,  A.  Prescott,  J.  Riley,  W.  B.  Walker,  John  Buck- 
master,  J.  D.  England,  J.  R.  Evans,  J.  S.  Gingerich,  J. 
Morehead,  J.  Picket,  J.  R.  Reed,  J.  F.  Statton,  William 
Folk,  D.  Wenrich. 

Among  the  early  company  of  laborers,  Gingerich,  Evans, 
Wenrich,  Riley,  and  James  are  remembered  as  natural 
leaders.  Gingerich  possessed  the  genuine  pioneer  spirit. 
Starting  from  the  East  early  in  life,  his  name  has  appeared 
at  different  times  in  connection  with  the  Western  confer- 
ences.    He  now  waits,  as  the  reader  has  seen,  in  advanced 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  617 

old  age,  in  a  city  near  the  western  ocean,  for  the  Master's 
final  call.  Among  other  men  who  have  come  well  to  the 
front  are  J.  K.  Spencer,  G.  IL  Ilinton,  J.  R.  Chambers, 
C.  H.  Jones,  N.  L.  Vezie,  J.  C.  Ross.  J.  R.  Evans,  of  this 
conference,  was  a  member  of  the  Church  Commission  on 
revision  of  the  Constitution  and  Confession  of  Faith. 

This  conference  has  made  fine  progress  in  advancing 
its  work.  It  now  has  forty-eight  ministers,  of  whom 
thirty -four  are  in  the  itinerancy.  Its  enrolled  membership 
is  3,470.  There  are  forty-two  young  people's  societies, 
with  a  membership  of  1,243,  and  4,239  are  in  its  Sunday 
schools.  The  conference  gives  fine  promise  of  a  greatly 
enlarged  future. 

XVII.       THE    ELKHORN    AND    DAKOTA    CONFERENCE. 

In  1871  a  mission  conference  was  organized  in  South 
Dakota  and  named  the  Dakota  Conference,  and  in  1882 
the  Elkhorn  Conference  was  formed  in  northeast  Nebraska. 
In  1885  these  two  bodies  were  united,  forming  the  Elkhorn 
and  Dakota  Conference.  Bishop  Kephart  presided  at  the 
session.  The  roll  of  ministers  of  the  two  conferences 
embraced  thirty-one  names,  and  there  were  six  hundred 
and  forty  in  the  laity.  Among  the  ministers  w^ere  D.  D. 
Weimer,  E.  R.  Richmond,  W.  H.  Post,  T.  P.  Brown,  W.  H. 
Burns,  E.  D.  Cowles,  J.  W.  Tucker,  and  N.  B.  Moore. 

This  conference  became  one  of  the  true  mission  fields 
of  the  Church,  and  other  ministers  soon  entered  upon  its 
w^ork,  as  S.  W.  Koontz,  of  the  Minnesota  Conference,  L.  T. 
John,  of  the  Iowa,  and  J.  E.  Leonard,  of  the  St.  Joseph. 
Judge  J.  W.  Tucker  was  equally  at  home  in  the  pulpit,  on 
the  stump,  and  as  attorney  for  the  Indians  in  those 
regions.  Mr.  Weimer,  deceased,  is  remembered  as  one  of 
the  bravest  of  men  in  facing  the  pitiless  storms  of  the 
prairies,  in  meeting  his  appointments  as  presiding  elder. 


618  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

Mr.  Richmond  was  blind.  His  wife  accompanied  him,  and 
read  for  him  the  Scriptures  and  other  books.  She  was 
inspired  to  a  special  zeal  by  this  service,  and  after  his 
decease  was  licensed  as  a  preacher  in  the  conference. 
His  frequent  rendering  of  "Beulah  Land"  is  remembered 
as  peculiarly  pathetic  and  beautiful. 

The  work  in  this  conference,  as  in  many  others,  has 
perhaps  in  too  large  proportion  been  given  to  the  rural 
districts,  performing  indeed  a  great  service  to  many  who 
otherwise  would  be  neglected,  but  failing  to  build  up 
the  Church  rapidly  into  strength.  All  the  hardships 
peculiar  to  new  countries  the  ministers  have  had  to 
meet,  but  they  have  toiled  in  hope,  and  the  harvest 
will  follow. 

XVIII.       THE    COLORADO    CONFERENCE. 

The  Colorado  Conference  was  organized  on  April  15, 
1872,  by  Bishop  Dickson.  Only  three  names  were  enrolled 
on  the  conference  list,  namely  William  H.  McCormick, 
St.  Clair  Ross,  and  A.  Hartzell.  Other  names  were  soon 
added,  and  others  further  on.  Among  these  w^ere  L.  S. 
Cornell,  D.D.,  E.  J.  Lamb,  J.  AV.  Zimmerman,  A. 
Schwimley,  A.  Griffith,  J.  P.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Lilly,  and 
others.  Several  of  these,  after  many  years  of  earnest 
service,  remain  in  the  active  work  of  the  conference. 
McCormick,  one  of  the  original  three,  Lamb,  Zimmerman, 
and  Schwimley  hold  foremost  places  among  their  breth- 
ren. It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Ross  and  Hartzell  thought 
it  best  to  cast  their  lot  with  the  radicals.  Mr.  Ross  was 
sent  by  the  Board  of  Missions  to  Colorado  in  1869.  He 
died  in  October  of  1896.  His  brothers,  J.  C.  and  Daniel 
J.  B.  Ross,  are  ministers  in  the  Neosho  Conference.  Hart- 
zell also  is  dead.  Dr.  Cornell,  for  over  twenty  years  in 
active  service,  resides  in  Denver,  much  esteemed  by  his 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  619 

brethren,  liufus  and  Mrs.  Clark,  whose  names  stand  in 
perpetual  honor,  in  connection  with  the  training  school 
in  Africa,  are  lay  members  of  the  Church  at  Smith's 
Chapel,  Denver. 

The  conference  has  wisely  planted  its  work  in  the  towns 
and  cities,  and  has  churches  at  Denver,  Pueblo,  Colorado 
Springs,  Berthoud,  Left  Hand,  St.  ^^rain,  and  Loveland. 

XIX.   THE  EAST  NEBRASKA  CONFERENCE. 

In  the  year  1860  several  United  Brethren  families  found 
homes  near  the  village  of  Plattsmouth,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Platte.  It  1864  William  H.  Shepherd  and 
R.  Loggan  located  in  the  neighborhood,  and  regular 
preaching  was  provided  for.  In  the  same  year  W.  P. 
Caldwell  and  E.  J.  Lamb,  zealous  laymen  from  Iowa, 
found  homes  on  Swan  Creek,  in  Saline  County.  They 
began  to  hold  prayer-meetings,  and  before  very  long 
were  regularly  licensed  preachers.  In  1866  E.  W.  John- 
son settled  in  Seward  County,  and  at  once  began  preach- 
ing. In  1870  S.  Austin,  of  the  Illinois  Conference,  located 
in  York  County,  and  soon  began  successful  work.  Thus 
were  additions  made  from  time  to  time,  until  in  the  year 
1873  there  were  fourteen  ministers,  with  seventy -four 
appointments,  and  about  fifty  organized  classes,  and  841 
members.  In  that  year,  on  October  30,  Bishop  Gloss- 
brenner  visited  them,  and  organized  the  Nebraska  Con- 
ference. The  ministers  enrolled  in  the  membership 
were  W.  P.  Caldwell,  S.  Austin,  E.  W.  Johnson,  W.  H. 
Shepherd,  H.  L.  Spofford,  Ives  Marks,  J.  McDougal,  H. 
Ackaret,  J.  M.  Ward,  P.  E.  Elliott,  W.  S.  Spooner,  I.  N. 
Martin,  I.  Cole,  and  S.  Fenton. 

Thus  organized,  these  ministers  in  a  spirit  of  broad 
hopefulness  sowed  their  seed  and  thrust  their  sickles  into 
the  harvest,  so  that  in  1878,  five  vears  after  the  oroani- 


620  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

zation,  the  membersliij)  had  grown  to  2,394,  aud  the 
number  of  ministers  to  about  fifty.  The  work  had  ex- 
tended westward,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  divide 
the  conference,  and  the  East  and  West  Nebraska  con- 
ferences were  formed.  Thirty-three  ministers  remained 
with  the  East  Nebraska,  among  whom  were  the  vet- 
eran founders  of  the  conference,  Simeon  Austin,  who 
afterward  joined  the  radicals,  AVilliam  P.  Caldwell,  and 
E.  W.  Johnson.  Four  licentiates  were  received,  and  the 
conference  started  on  its  new  mission  with  thirty-seven 
ministers.  The  conference  has  been  active  in  building 
churches  and  parsonages,  though  many  of  its  organized 
societies  are  still  without  churches.  It  has  gathered  a 
membership  of  4,012,  w^itli  forty-eight  ministers,  of  whom 
thirty-nine  are  in  the  itinerancy.  It  has  forty -three  young 
people's  societies,  with  a  membership  of  1,659  ;  its  Sunday 
schools  have  an  enrollment  of  4,327.  The  conference 
suffered  considerably  from  the  radical  movement,  but  its 
losses  are  much  more  than  made  up. 

XX.   THE  WEST  NEBRASKA  CONFERENCE. 

The  history  of  the  founding  of  the  Church  in  Nebraska 
belongs  to  the  East  and  the  West  conferences  alike.  In 
the  spirit  of  the  truest  missionaries  the  pioneer  preachers 
did  their  work,  amid  the  usual  difficulties  pertaining  to 
pioneer  life,  but  meeting  with  much  cheering  success. 
The  final  session  of  the  original  Nebraska  Conference  was 
held  at  Fairbury,  in  Jefferson  County,  on  August  21,  1S78, 
Bishop  Wright  presiding.  The  ministers  who  had  pushed 
farther  into  the  newer  fields,  and  others  who  elected  to 
go  with  them,  were  as  follows :  Isaac  Belknap,  Charles 
G.  Bowers,  Jacob  Bremser,  John  J.  Haskins,  Charles  C. 
Kellogg,  Edmond  L.  Kenoyer,  Obadiah  Knepper,  John 
McDougal,   I.   N.   Martin,   Thomas  J.   Parvin,  William  S. 


CONFERENCES  OROANIZED  SINCE  1853  621 

Spooner,  John  \\\  Ward,  S.  C.  Abbott,  Byron  M.  Allen, 
David  Edgerton,  J.  li.  Fee,  Josiali  1).  Fye,  John  T. 
Squiers,  and  George  Fembers.  The  number  in  the  laity 
falling  to  West  Nebraska  Conference  was  605.  Kumerous 
changes  have  taken  place  in  the  ministerial  list  since 
the  formation,  in  1878,  by  removals  and  deaths,  with  a 
few  withdrawals  to  the  radicals,  while  new  men  have 
from  time  to  time  come  in.  Among  those  now  holding 
prominent  recognition  in  the  conference  are  H.  AV.  True- 
blood,  D.D.,  T.  B.  Cannon,  J.  J.  Smith,  C^  II.  Polhcmus, 
and  others. 

This  conference  early  entered  the  educational  field, 
founding  Gibbon  Collegiate  Institute,  but  transferring  its 
interest  afterward  to  York  College,  as  elsewhere  spoken  of. 
The  conference  has  advanced  in  general  membership  to 
2,235,  with  thirty-six  ministers.  It  has  twenty-four  young 
people's  societies,  enrolling  701  members,  and  about  3,400 
scholars  and  teachers  enrolled  in  its  Sunday  schools,  a 
number  over  fifty  per  cent,  larger  than  that  of  the 
church  membership.  This  fact  gives  good  promise  of 
future  increase  in  the  Church. 

XXI.       THE   NORTH    MICHIGAN    CONFERENCE. 

The  North  Michigan  Conference  was  formed  by  separa- 
tion from  the  Michigan  Conference,  at  a  session  held  in 
Waterloo,  Michigan,  September  6,  1877.  Bishop  Weaver 
presided.  The  names  of  seventeen  ministers  were  enrolled, 
some  of  whom  were  A.  Rossman,  J.  Beechtler,  W.  T.  Bald- 
win, H.  II.  Maynard,  J.  A.  F.  King,  and  G.  A.  Bowles. 

The  field  occupied  by  the  conference  was  strictly  mis- 
sionary ground,  with  all  the  usual  attendant  conditions. 
It  received  such  support  as  the  Missionary  Board  was  able 
to  give,  and  for  some  years  the  work  prospered  encour- 
agingly.    But,  unfortunately  for  its  steady  prosperity,  the 


622  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

conference  became,  during  the  period  of  the  radical 
troubles,  a  theater  of  special  disturbance.  The  parent 
conference,  the  Michigan,  had  long  been  dominated  by 
men  of  extreme  radical  principles,  and  their  influence, 
some  of  them  becoming  members  of  the  North  Michigan, 
gave  to  this  conference  the  same  general  character  as 
that  of  the  Michigan.  As  a  consequence,  when  the  seces- 
sion of  1889  occurred,  a  considerable  number  of  ministers 
went  with  the  radicals,  carrying  with  them  a  proportionate 
number  of  the  laity,  in  some  instances  nearly  entire  con- 
gregations, together  with  the  houses  they  occupied.  The 
litigations  growing  out  of  these  conditions  have  been 
elsewhere  referred  to. 

The  disintegration  thus  wrought  in  this  conference 
proved  greatly  destructive  to  its  interests.  But  the  min- 
isters are  working  earnestly  and  hopefully  in  rebuilding 
their  Zion,  and  it  may  be  hoped  that  the  future  holds 
for  them  a  new  era  of  prosperity.  Among  their  present 
leaders  in  the  work  are  F.  M.  McClintic,  H.  McXish, 
M.  S.  Bovey,  and  M.  Markham.  A  number  of  young 
men  of  good  promise  are  enlisted  among  their  working 
forces.  The  present  membership  of  the  conference  is, 
ministers,  twenty-seven,  of  whom  twenty-three  are  itin- 
erant, and  laity,  967.  Its  Sunday-school  enrollment  is 
1,394,  and  that  of  its  young  people  3G1. 

XXII.   THE  CENTRAL  OHIO  CONFERENCE. 

The  Central  Ohio  Conference,  as  suggested  by  the  name, 
is  situated  in  the  central  part  of  Ohio,  with  Columbus, 
the  State  capital,  nearly  at  its  geographical  center.  This 
conference  was  organized  on  September  4,  1878.  It  was 
not,  like  nearly  all  other  conferences  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  originally  a  mission  field,  but  was  formed  by 
the  union  of   portions  of  two  old  and   established  confer- 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  623 

ences,  the  Sandusky  and  the  Scioto,  the  object  being  to 
secure  greater  convenience  of  pastoral  service. 

The  enabling  act  of  the  General  Conference  of  1877 
having  been  complied  with  by  the  Sandusky  and  Scioto 
conferences,  the  ministers  of  the  sections  which  were  to  be 
combined  assembled  in  the  college  chapel  at  Westerville, 
and  were  formally  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Central 
Ohio  Conference.  Bishop  Dickson  presided,  and  the  names 
of  fifty-six  ministers  were  enrolled  on  the  conference  record. 
Some  of  the  more  prominent  among  these  were  Ex-Bishop 
Hanby,  E.  Yandemark,  J.  B.  Resler,  II.  A.  Thompson, 
J.  S.  Mills,  B.  ^I.  Long,  J.  W.  Sleeper,  J.  A.  Crayton, 
D.  Bonebrake,  AV.  Brown,  W.  G.  Mauk,  W.  J.  Davis,  and 
A.  Snider.  Of  the  original  members  several  have  died, 
others  have  removed  elsewhere,  and  some  went  with 
the  seceders,  so  that  of  the  fifty-six  only  eighteen  now 
remain  in  the  conference.  The  lay  membership  included 
in  the  districts  as  united  was  3,598.  This  number 
has  advanced  to  4,974,  and  the  present  ministerial 
force  is  forty -nine,  thirty-three  of  these  being  in  the 
itinerancy.  Among  the  later  accessions  to  this  confer- 
ence is  Dr.  T.  J.  Sanders,  president  of  Otterbein  Uni- 
versity. A.  E.  Davis,  W.  0.  Fries,  I.  L.  Oakes,  J.  P. 
Stewart,  A.  E.  Wright,  and  A.  J.  Wagner  are  some  of  the 
leading  pastors  among  the  younger  men  of  the  confer- 
ence. 

This  conference  is  peculiarly  honored  in  liaving  located 
within  its  bounds  Otterbein  University,  the  oldest  of  the 
educational  institutions  of  the  Church.  The  influence  of 
the  college  upon  the  conference  as  a  formative  force  has 
been  very  marked.  The  conference  has  several  flourishing 
churches,  as  at  Westerville,  Columbus,  Galion,  and  other 
places.  In  its  work  among  the  young  people  it  enrolls 
1,131  members,  and  in  the  Sunday  schools  5,721. 


624  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

XXIII.       THE    NORTHWEST    KANSAS    CONFERENCE. 

This  vigorous  body,  occupying  the  northwestern  part  of 
Kansas,  is  a  natural  outgrowth  of  the  Kansas  Conference. 
The  conference  was  organized  on  August  6,  1879,  at  Chfton, 
in  Washington  County,  holding  its  first  session  jointly 
with  the  parent  conference.  The  name  at  the  first  was 
West  Kansas  Conference,  which  was  retained  until  1893, 
when  it  became  Northwest  Kansas,  the  southwestern  part 
of  the  State  being  occupied  by  the  newly  organized  South- 
west Kansas  Conference.  Twenty-three  names  were  enrolled 
at  the  organization  in  1879,  as  follows:  E.  Shepherd, 
F.  E.  S.  Byrd,  J.  Knight,  J.  McKee,  C.  U.  McKee,  J.  W. 
Bean,  J.  H.  Bloyd,  J.  J.  Burch,  W.  G.  Lewis,  M.  Jennings, 
L.  D.  Wimmer,  D.  Brookhart,  William  Horton,  J.  L. 
Lee,  D.  Boone,  Robert  Wilson,  W.  H.  Willoughby,  J. 
Mason,  G.  W.  Miller,  D.  Waltmer,  H.  W.  Goss,  J.  E. 
French,  J.  :M.  Putney. 

The  conference  early  felt  the  need  of  providing  educa- 
tional advantages  within  the  Church  for  its  young  people, 
and  in  1880  organized  Gould  College.  For  six  years  the 
institution  was  maintained  with  fair  success,  but  the 
resources  being  insufficient  to  warrant  continuance  it  was 
suspended,  the  conference  subsequently  cooperating  with 
a  college  founded  at  Enterprise,  Kansas,  which  has  also 
since  been  discontinued.  The  long-prevailing  financial 
stress  of  the  country,  and  the  numerical  insufiiciency  of 
the  membership  to  support  enterprises  necessarily  ex- 
pensive, and  not  any  lack  of  interest  or  zeal  on  the  part 
of  those  undertaking  them,  led  inevitably  to  these  results. 
The  conference  has  toiled  successfully  in  the  field  of 
soul-saving,  its  present  membership  being  3,824,  with 
thirty-six  ministers,  of  whom  thirty-three  are  in  the 
itinerant  ranks.  Its  Sunday-school  membership  is  6,018, 
and  that  of  its  young  people's  societies  forty-five,  with  a 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  625 

membership  of  1,567.  The  activity  of  the  Sunday  schools 
and  young  people's  organizations  gives  large  promise  for 
the  future. 

XXIV.  THE    ARKANSAS   VALLEY    CONFERENCE. 

The  Arkansas  Valley  Conference  is  located  partly  in 
southern  Kansas  and  partly  in  Oklahoma  Territory.  It 
was  organized  in  October,  1881,  by  Bishop  Kephart,  at 
Otterbein  Chapel,  near  Sedgwick  City,  in  Sedgwick  County, 
Kansas.  Its  territory  is  in  part  that  of  the  former  Osage 
Conference.  In  1893  it  parted  with  a  portion  of  its  field 
and  people  to  form  the  Southwest  Kansas  Conference. 

Twenty-six  names  of  ministers  were  enrolled  at  the  time 
of  organization.  Some  of  the  original  members  were  J.  H. 
Snyder,  P.  B.  Lee,  T.  H.  Watts,  R.  W.  Parks,  George  Gay,  H.  S. 
R/iegel,  and  D.  S.  Henninger.  Among  other  well-known 
names  that  have  been  added  since  are  George  Kettering, 
S.  Garrigus,  W.  L.  Hinshaw,  J.  A.  Beltz,  and  F.  P.  Smith. 

This  conference  has  attained  a  most  encouraging  pros- 
perity. Its  territory  is  among  the  newer  districts  occupied 
by  the  Church,  where  population  changes  rapidly,  and 
yet  it  has  gathered  a  membershii)  of  3,397,  with  fifty-three 
ministers,  of  whom  thirty-nine  are  in  the  itinerancy.  The 
Sunday-school  enrollment  is  4,393.  There  are  forty  young 
people's  societies,  with  a  membership  of  1,170.  With  the 
early  occupancy  of  a  country  which  is  destined  to  have 
a  large  population,  this  conference  possesses  a  great  oppor- 
tunity, of  which  it  will  doubtless  fully  avail  itself.  The 
growth  to  which  it  has  alread}^  attained  within  the  short 
period  since  its  organization  is  a  prophecy  as  to  its  future. 

XXV.  THE    SOUTHERN   MISSOURI    CONFERENCE. 

The  Southern  Missouri  is  one  of  the  more  recently 
formed  conferences,  having  been  organized  on  November 

40 


626  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

10,  1881.  Its  first  session  was  held  at  Deer  Creek  Chapel, 
in  Bates  County,  Bishop  Kephart  2:)residing.  The  territory 
of  this  conference,  separated  from  the  Xeosho,  embraces 
all  the  country  south  of  the  Missouri  River,  within  the 
State  of  Missouri.  The  names  of  sixteen  ministers  were 
enrolled  at  the  organization  :  S.  Brown,  G.  Crouse,  Ben- 
jamin Duck,  J.  R.  Evans,  J.  S.  Gingerich,  J.  K.  Glassford, 
E.  L.  Joslin,  W.  F.  ]\Iiller,  J.  R.  Reed,  J.  Riley,  R.  G. 
Rankin,  J.  F.  Stephens,  A.  Spence,  0.  F.  Snow,  J.  T. 
Timmons,  and  R.  C.  Thomas.  The  lay  membership  com- 
prised five  hundred  and  nineteen  names.  From  this  it 
is  apparent  that  there  were  no  strong  congregations,  and 
the  ministers  entered  upon  their  work  as  missionaries  in 
the  strictest  sense.  But  the  conference  has  prospered,  and 
in  the  sixteen  years  of  its  existence  has  nearly  trebled 
its  membership,  the  present  number  of  communicants 
being  about  1,450,  with  twenty-five  ministers,  of  whom 
thirteen  are  itinerants.  The  Sunday-school  enrollment  is 
1,263. 

^Ir.  Joslin  and  Mr.  Thomas  represented  this  conference 
in  the  General  Conference  in  the  noted  sessions  of  1885 
and  1889,  and  A.  L.  Best,  S.  R.  Thom,  and  Mr.  A.  L. 
Bosley  in  that  of  1893.  R.  C.  Thomas  has  proved  him- 
self a  faithful  servant  of  the  conference,  having  been  its 
secretary  since  its  organization.  The  encouraging  growth 
in  the  general  membership  of  this  conference  is  an  indica- 
tion of  the  fidelity  of  its  ministers  and  a  proof  tliat  the 
divine  blessing  has  rested  upon  their  work. 

XXVI.       THE    EAST    OHIO    CONFERENCE. 

The  conference  now  bearing  the  name  of  East  Ohio 
occupies  the  territory  of  the  historical  Muskingum  Con- 
ference, one  of  the  noblest  of  the  early  conferences  west 
of   the  Alleghany   ^lountains.     The  ^luskingum  may  be 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  627 

spoken  of  as  a  strictly  original  conference,  not  having 
been  formed  by  separation  from  any  other.  It  consisted, 
in  its  beginnings,  of  the  hardy  pioneer  ministers  who 
crossed  the  mountains,  settled  in  that  section  of  Ohio 
which  is  watered  by  the  ]\Iuskingum  River,  and  began 
preaching  the  gospel  to  their  fellow-settlers.  The  confer- 
ence was  organized  as  early  as  1818,  by  Bishop  Newcomer, 
at  the  house  of  Joseph  Xaftzgar,  in  Harrison  County,  Ohio, 
its  territory  extending  across  into  western  Pennsylvania, 
embracing  that  now  occupied  by  the  Allegheny  Conference 
until  1833,  when  the  portion  of  the  conference  lying  in 
Pennsylvania  was  transferred  to  the  Pennsylvania  Con- 
ference. 

Among  the  early  members  in  the  history  of  tliis  con- 
ference are  Matthias  Bortsfield,  Abraham  Forney,  Joseph 
Naftzgar,  Henry  G.  Spayth,  Henry  Errett,  James  Johnston, 
J.  Crum,  Christian  Berger,  and  John  Bash. 

The  Muskingum  Conference  grew  in  strength,  and  in 
1853  it  was  divided,  the  Western  Reserve  Conference  being 
formed.  The  latter  conference  had  an  honorable  history 
until  the  year  1886,  when  the  two  bodies  were  again 
united  under  the  name  of  the  East  Ohio  Conference.  As 
such  it  has  advanced  to  the  position  of  one  of  the  larger 
conferences  of  the  Church,  its  present  general  member- 
ship being  9,262.  It  has  132  organized  clmrches,  with 
ninety-four  ministers,  of  whom  sixty-eight  are  in  the  itin- 
erant ranks.  It  has  seventy-two  young  people's  societies, 
with  a  membership  of  2,891,  and  its  Sunday-school  enroll- 
ment is  11,376. 

Among  the  members  of  the  old  ^luskingum  Conference 
were  Bishop  J.  Weaver  and  Dr.  B.  F.  Booth,  one  still 
with  us,  the  other  with  the  Master.  Among  those  in 
later  years  representing  the  IMuskingum  and  Western 
Reserve   in   the   General    Conference,    and    afterward    the 


628 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 


East  Ohio,  were  Dr.  Booth,  S.  W.  Koontz,  J.  M.  Poulton, 
J.  N.  Lemasters,  A.  Brazee,  J.  G.  Baldwin,  Johu  Noel, 
D.  W.  Sprinkle,  W.  B.  Leggett,  J.  Cecil,  W.  A.  Airhart, 
R.  Watson,  and  W.  0.  SifFert.  The  conference  is  full  of 
vigor  and  life,  is  occupying  the  cities  and  larger  towns, 
some  of  them  with  very  handsome  churches,  and  will 
hold  its  place  in  line  with  the  most  aggressive  confer- 
ences of  the  Church. 

XXVII.      THE   MARYLAND    CONFERENCE. 

The  Maryland  Conference,  while  occupying  largely  the 
territory  in  which  some  of  the  early  fathers  of  the  Church 
spent  most  of  their  labors,  takes  its  place  among  the 
newer  of  the  conferences.  Territorially  it  embraces  the 
District  of  Columbia  and  nearly  all  of  the  State  of  Mary- 
land, except  the  city  of  Baltimore,  which  is  divided  between 
the  Pennsylvania  and  East  German  conferences.  Under 
the  enabling  act  of  the  General  Conference  of  1885,  the 
Maryland  Conference  was  organized  at  Keedysville,  Mary- 
land, on  March  4,  1887,  Bishop  Weaver  presiding.  Until 
that  time  its  territory  had  formed  a  part  of  the  Virginia 
Conference  since  the  separate  existence  of  that  body,  from 
1830.  Its  earlier  history,  therefore,  is  part  of  the  history 
of  that  venerable  conference,  and,  beyond  that,  of  the 
original  or  Hagerstown  Conference. 

The  new  conference  as  organized  placed  upon  its  roll 
of  ministers  twenty-one  names.  Among  them  were  A.  M. 
Evers,  J.  W.  Hicks,  J.  W.  Kiracofe,  J.  K.  Kelson,  C.  M. 
Hott,  C.  I.  B.  Brane,  S.  K.  Wine,  S.  H.  Snell,  W.  L.  Martin, 
W.  0.  Fries,  H.  H.  Font,  G.  J.  Roudabush.  A  number 
of  these  names  are  now  found  on  the  rolls  of  other  con- 
ferences, and  some  are  recorded  on  high.  IVIr.  Brane,  now 
of  the  East  Pennsylvania,  elected  by  the  General  Conference 
of  1893  as  general  secretary  of  the  Church-Erection  Society, 


CONFERENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  629 

C.  M.  Hott,  deceased,  and  L.  0.  Burtner,  a  later  accession, 
missionary  in  Africa,  have  been  elsewhere  spoken  of. 

The  conference  lost  a  considerable  number  of  its  mem- 
bers who  went  out  with  the  secession  of  1889,  but  is  in 
excellent  working  condition.  It  has  twelve  ministerial 
charges,  with  thirty-five  organized  churches  and  over 
three  thousand  members,  and  a  Sunday-school  enroll- 
ment of  nearly  thirty-six  hundred.  Among  its  churches 
is  the  recently  organized  mission  church  in  Washington 
City,  the  noble  fruit  of  Mr.  Brane's  zeal  and  industry, 
and  of  which  J.  E.  Font  is  the  present  successful  pastor. 
Many  of  the  churches  are  located  in  those  fine  old 
counties  of  Washington  and  Frederick,  strictly  classic 
ground.  Here  the  voices  of  Otterbein,  Boehm,  Guething, 
and  Newcomer  were  familiarly  heard.  The  city  of  Balti- 
more would  seem  to  belong  naturally  to  this  conference, 
but  the  old  Otterbein  Church,  of  which  Otterbein  was  for 
nearly  forty  years  pastor,  began  to  receive  its  pastors  at 
an  early  date  from  the  Pennsylvania  Conference,  and 
continued  to  do  so  until  the  organization  of  the  East 
German  Conference,  since  which  time  that  conference  has 
supplied  its  pulpit.  The  other  churches  in  the  city,  as 
before  stated,  belong  to  the  Pennsylvania  and  East  Ger- 
man conferences. 

XXVIII.       THE   SOUTHWEST    KANSAS    CONFERENCE. 

Among  the  latest  of  all  the  annual  conferences  organ- 
ized at  this  writing  is  the  Southwest  Kansas.  Its  terri- 
tory lies  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Kansas,  and  that 
portion  of  Oklahoma  immediately  south.  It  was  organized 
on  July  10,  1893.  Bishop  Mills  presided  at  this  opening 
session,  and  the  following  names  were  enrolled :  H.  S. 
Riegel,  E.  R.  Myers,  C.  C.  Braden,  Joel  Corley,  G.  M. 
Beltz,  M.  M.  Thomas,  Ira  Trimble,  G.  W.  Leitner,  J.  ]\Ior- 


630  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

rison,  S.  W.  Foulk,  J.  Burgoine,  C.  H.  McGrath,  A.  Burrill, 
R.  J.  Eubank,  W.  H.  Sapp,  0.  P.  Myers,  E.  England— 
seventeen  names  in  all.  The  lay  membership  of  the 
conference  embraced  about  nine  hundred,  which  has  since 
considerably  advanced.  A  portion  of  the  country,  that 
in  Oklahoma,  being  but  very  recently  opened  up  for 
settlement,  is  largely  occupied  by  a  transient  population, 
but  few  having  yet  settled  down  to  permanent  residence. 
With  constantly  changing  congregations  the  work  of  solid 
church  building  is  necessarily  much  interrupted.  Yet  a 
number  of  very  substantial  societies  attest  the  industry 
and  faithfulness  of  these  missionary  pastors.  With  such 
men  as  Riegel,  Foulk,  Thomas,  Morrison,  and  others 
pressing  forward  the  work,  we  may  hope  for  large  pros- 
perity for  this  conference.  In  Oklahoma  especially  the 
workers  of  this  conference  have  the  advantage  of  being 
early  on  the  ground,  and  fidelity  to  the  service  of  the 
Church  and  the  great  Master  will  lead  to  excellent  results. 

XXIX.      THE    CHICKAMAUGA   CONFERENCE. 

The  latest  conferences  organized,  both  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Board  of  Missions,  are  in  Tennessee.  In  March, 
1896,  Bishop  Castle  organized,  at  Chattanooga,  the  Chicka- 
mauga  Conference.  Seven  preachers  were  present.  In  the 
assignment  of  work  B.  B.  Bryant  was  elected  presiding 
elder,  and  II.  Huston  superintendent.  The  conference  is 
colored,  and  its  mission  will  be  to  the  colored  people  of 
that  portion  of  Tennessee.  The  work  is  wholly  mission- 
ary, and  it  is  hoped  that  with  the  blessing  of  God  resting 
upon  it  precious  results  may  be  attained. 

XXX.      THE    TENNESSEE    RIVER    CONFERENCE. 

The  very  latest  of  all  the  conferences  formed  at  this 
writing  is  the  Tennessee  River  Conference.     The  region  it 


CONFEEENCES  ORGANIZED  SINCE  1853  031 

occupies  is  chiefly  western  Tennessee.  Tlie  conference  was 
organized  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Parsons, 
Tennessee,  on  November  26,  1S9G,  Dr.  W.  M.  Bell,  mis- 
sionary secretary,  presiding.  Seven  preachers  were  present 
and  enrolled  in  the  organization.  Two  presiding-elder's 
districts — mission  districts — were  formed,  and  F.  M. 
Morgan  and  U.  B.  Crowell  were  chosen  presiding  elders. 
Dr.  T.  C.  Carter,  superintendent  of  the  work  in  Tennessee, 
was  present  and  assisted  in  the  organization.  A  mem- 
bership of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  is  represented  by 
this  conference.  The  outlook  for  this  new  conference  is 
regarded  as  altogether  hopeful. 

XXXI.   THE  FOREIGN  CONFERENCES. 

The  work  in  Germany,  Africa,  China,  and  Japan  has 
been  referred  to  at  length  in  the  pages  relating  to  the 
Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  and 
the  Woman's  Missionary  Association,  to  wdiich  account  the 
reader  is  referred.  It  will  be  in  place  here,  nevertheless, 
to  add  something  regarding  the  statistics  of  the  work  in 
Germany  and  Africa. 

1.     The  Germany  Conference. 

The  work  in  Germany,  commenced  in  1869,  has  now 
a  membership  of  991,  with  ten  ministers,  all  in  active 
service.  There  are  twenty-three  organized  societies,  and 
a  Sunday-school  enrollment  of  ^^o.  There  are  ten  young 
people's  societies,  with  a  membership  of  160.  Some  of 
the  ministers  are  Ileinrich  Barkemeyer,  2)i'esiding  elder, 
Bernhard  Barkemeyer,  Matthias  Eichmiller,  Friedrich 
Spiegel,  Friedrich  Holzschuher,  August  Hanke,  and  Karl 
Kuhn.  The  work  proceeds  under  great  difficulties,  being 
constantly  embarrassed  by  the  limitations  put  upon  it  by 
some  of   the  local  governments,  the  state  church  having 


632  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

almost  absolute  control.  Nevertheless,  the  ministers  toil 
in  hope,  and  the  people  whom  they  gather  into  the  Church 
are  earnest  and  spiritual.  The  conference  was  organized 
on  December  10,  1879,  in  Lobenstein  Eeuss,  by  Missionary 
Secretary  Flickinger,  bishop  pro  tern. 

2.     The  Sherbro   Conference. 

The  Sherbro  Conference,  representing  the  united  work 
of  the  two  missionary  societies,  reports  in  the  last  annual 
statement  sixteen  ministers  and  a  general  membership  of 
5,662.  The  conference  was  organized  in  1884  by  Dr. 
Flickinger.  This  field  has  been  so  fully  treated  in  its 
appropriate  place  that  nothing  further  needs  to  be  added 
here. 

S,     The  Work  in  Japan  and  China. 

No  formal  organization  under  the  name  of  a  conference 
has  yet  been  effected  in  the  mission  in  Japan.  And  yet 
the  work,  under  the  careful  supervision  of  Dr.  Irie,  has 
been  very  effectively  organized,  and  is  being  pressed 
forward  with  most  gratifying  results.  The  reports  at  this 
writing  show  that  about  one  hundred  members  have  been 
gathered  in  due  form  into  the  Church,  and  the  number 
is  constantly  increasing.  Seven  ministers,  all  native  Jap- 
anese, are  engaged  in  the  work.  They  labor  in  a  spirit 
of  deep  consecration  and  with  great  faith  and  spiritual 
enthusiasm. 

In  the  work  in  China,  so  recently  begun,  twelve  converts 
were  reported  in  the  latest  statistics. 


CONCLUSION 

This  volume  cannot  be  closed  without  recording  once 
more  a  sincere  regret  that  some  of  the  ministers  and 
people  of  the  Church  saw  fit,  several  years  ago,  to  sever 
their  connection  with  it,  and  to  form  an  independent 
denomination.  It  is  believed  that  the  reasons  for  taking 
this  step  will  not  bear  the  test  of  time,  and  that  many 
of  those  who  have  gone  out  will  by  and  by  come  to  hold 
the  same  position  to  which  thousands  in  the  Church  had 
earlier  come, — the  position  which  the  Church  holds  now, — 
and  the  hope  is  therefore  entertained  that  they  will  find 
their  way  back  again  into  the  old  fold.  Possibly  it  may 
not  be  quite  soon,  perhaps  not  while  the  leaders  who 
broke  lances  with  each  other  in  the  controversy  remain. 
But  with  the  culture  of  kindly  feeling,  and  a  generous 
forbearance  born  of  the  true  spirit  of  our  Lord,  who 
prayed  that  his  disciples  might  all  be  one,  it  may  be 
hoped  that  so  desirable  an  end  may  in  time  be  attained. 

The  reader  who  has  followed  this  history  from  its  begin- 
ning will  perhaps  pause  here  a  moment  for  a  brief  survey 
of  the  present  and  a  glance  toward  the  future.  He  has  seen 
the  Church,  modest  and  yet  aggressive  in  its  origin  and 
earlier  years,  rising  gradually  to  its  present  position  of  activ- 
ity and  strength.  The  fathers  builded  with  the  courage 
born  of  true  faith.  Many  of  them  were  missionaries,  pos- 
sessing the  truest  pioneer  instincts.  Step  by  step,  with  the 
early  westward  emigration,  they  carried  the  gospel  to  the 
scattered  homes  of  the  settlers,  avoiding,  however,  the  cities, 
in  accordance  with  the  instincts  of  their  birth  and  training, 

633 


634  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

aucl  thus  failing  to  seize  the  best  opportunities  for  enlarge- 
ment. But  from  their  toils  and  prayers  and  faith  has  come 
the  goodly  heritage  which  has  fallen  to  us  of  the  present. 
The  latter  half  of  the  present  century  has  been  chiefly  the 
period  of  development.  Within  this  time  the  various  organ- 
ized agencies  of  the  Church  have  had  their  origin  and  growth. 
The  Publishing  House  extends  its  history  farther  into  the 
past,  but  at  the  middle  of  the  century  it  had  not  yet  passed 
beyond  a  stage  of  infancy.  Just  a  half  century  ago  the  first 
college  of  the  Church  was  founded.  The  closing  years  of  the 
century  mark  great  advances.  The  church  membership  in 
1850  was  scarcely  forty  thousand.  It  has  now  reached  two 
hundred  and  forty  thousand,  with  over  two  thousand  min- 
isters. The  missionary  work,  then  not  yet  in  organized  form, 
is  now  conducted  by  two  organizations  wielding  great  power. 
The  Sunday-school  work,  having  then  but  feeble  recognition, 
now  presents  an  army  of  over  two  hundred  and  fifty-five 
thousand  pupils,  cared  for  by  another  army  of  over  thirty-five 
thousand  teachers.  The  Publishing  House  has  grown  into 
large  proportions.  The  young  people's  organization  enrolls 
seventy-three  thousand  members,  nearly  one-third  of  the 
entire  membership  of  the  Church.  Education,  general  and 
theological,  is  widely  provided  for.  The  ministry  and  people 
are  advancing  to  a  higher  apprehension  of  Christian  life  and 
activity.  Church  legislation  has  broadened  into  a  larger 
freedom.  Everywhere  are  seen  the  tokens  of  advancing  life 
and  the  promise  of  greater  enlargement.  It  will  only  be 
necessary,  with  these  changed  and  improved  conditions,  that 
the  Church  maintain  earnestly  the  spirit  of  devout  piety 
and  the  deep  religious  earnestness  and  consecration  on 
which  the  fathers  so  strongly  insisted.  If  the  Church  shall 
thus  abide  in  the  strength  which  comes  from  close  relation- 
ship with  the  Master,  the  gracious  things  of  the  present  will 
be  a  prophecy  of  far  greater  things  to  come. 


PART  IV 
HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES 


PART  IV 
HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES^ 

I.    GENERAL  OFFICERS. 

BISHOPS. 

1800-1813,  William  Otterbein  (died,  1813)  and  Martin  Boehm  (died,  1812). 

1813-1814,  Christian  Newcomer. 

1814-1815,  Christian  Newcomer. 

1815-1817,  Christian  Newcomer  and  Andrew  Zeller. 

1817-1821,  Christian  Newcomer  and  Andrew  Zeller. 

1821-1825,  Christian  Newcomer  and  Joseph  Hoflman. 

1825-1829,  Christian  Newcomer  and  Henry  Kumler,  Sen. 

1829-18^3,  Christian  Newcomer  (died,  1830)  and  Henry  Kumler,  Sen. 

1833-1837,  Henry  Kumler,  Sen,,  Samuel  Hiestand,  and  William  Brown. 

1837-1841,  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  Samuel  Hiestand  (died,  1838),  and  Jacob  Erb. 

1841-1845,  Henry  Kumler,  Sen.,  Jacob  Erb,  Henry  Kumler,  Jun.,  and  John 
Coons. 

1845-1849,  John  Russel,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  and  William  Hanby. 

1849-1853,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  Jacob  Erb,  and  David  Edwards. 

1853-18.57,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  David  Edwards,  and  Lewis  Davis. 

1857-1861,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  David  Edwards,  Lewis  Davis,  D.D.,  and  John 
Russel. 

1861-1865,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  David  Edwards,  Jacob  Markwood,  Daniel  Shuck, 
and  Henry  Kumler,  Jun. 

1865-1869,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  David  Edwards,  Jacob  Markwood,  Jonathan 
Weaver,  and  Daniel  Shuck. 

1869-1873,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  David  Edwards,  D.D.,  Jonathan  Weaver,  and 
John  Dickson. 

1873-1877,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  David  Edwards,  D.D.  (died,  1876),  Jonathan 
Weaver,  D.D.,  and  John  Dickson. 

1877-1881,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  Jonathan  Weaver,  D.D.,  John  Dickson,  D.D., 
Milton  Wright,  D.D.,  and  Nicholas  Castle. 

1881-1885,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  D.D.,  Jonathan  Weaver,  D.D.,  John  Dickson, 
D.D.,  E.  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  and  Nicholas  Castle. 

188.5-1889,  J.  J.  Glossbrenner,  D.D.,  Emeritus  ( died,  1887),  Jonathan  Weaver, D.D., 
E.  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  N.  Castle,  J.  Dickson,  D.D.,  M.  Wright,  D.D.,  D.  K.  Flick- 
inger,  D.D. 

1889-1893,  Jonathan  Weaver,  D.D.,  E.  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  N.  Castle,  D.D., 
J.  Dickson,  D.D.,  J.  W.  Hott,  D.D. 

189.3-1897,  Jonathan  Weaver,  D.D.,  EmeHtm,  E.  B.  Kephart,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
N.  Castle,  D.D.,  J.  W.  Hott,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  J,  S.  Mills,  D.D.,  Ph.D. 

iThe  following  tables  are  compiled  chiefly  from  the  "Handbook  of  the 
United  Brethren  in  Christ,"  by  E.  L.  Shuey,  A.M.,  and  from  the  United  Brethren 
Year-Books. 

637 


638  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

AGENTS  OF  THE  PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 
Three  Trustees— John  Russel,  Jonathan  Dresbach,  George  Dresbach— 

and  Editor  W.R.  Rbinehart 1834-1837 

Rev.  Wm.  Hanby,  Treasurer  and  Agent 1837-1839 

Rev.  Wm.  Hanby,  Agent  and  Editor 1839-1845 

Rev.  J.  Markwood  (elected,  but  did  not  serve) 184o 

Rev.  N.  Altman 1^^1852 

Rev.  Wm.  Hanby 1852-1853 

Rev.  S.  Vonnieda 1853-1854 

Rev.  S.  Vonnieda  and  Rev.  H.  Kumler,  Jun 1854 

Rev.  S.  Vonnieda  and  T.  N.  Sowers 1855-1861 


T.  N.  Sowers  and  J.  B.  King. 


,1861-1864 


T.  N.  Sowers  and  Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey 1864-1865 

Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey  and  T.  N.  Sowers 1865 

Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey  and  Rev.  Wm.  McKee 1865-1866 

Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey 1866 

EDITORS  OF  THE  "RELIGIOUS  TELESCOPE." 

Rev.  Wm.  Rhinehart 1834-1839 

Rev.  Wm.  Hanby 1839-1845 

Rev.  D.  Edwards 184.^-1849 

Rev.  Wm.  Hanby 1849-1&52 

Assistant:  Rev.  John  Lawrence 1850-1852 

Rev.  John  Lawrence 18.52-1864 

Rev.  D.  Berger 1864-1869 

Rev.  M.  Wright 1869-1873 

Assistant:    Rev.  D.  Berger 1869-1873 

Rev.  M.  Wright  and  Rev.  W.  O.  Tobey,  A.M 1873-1877 

Rev.  J.  W.  Hott,  D.D 1877-1889 

Assistants  :    Rev.  W.  O.  Tobey,  A.M 1877-1881 

Rev.  M.  R.  Drury,  A..M 1881-1889 

Rev.  LL.  Kephart,  D.D 1889 

Associate:   Rev.  M.  R.  Drury,  D.D 1889 

EDITORS  OF  SABBATH-SCHOOL  PERIODICALS. 

Bishop  D.  Edwards 1854-1857 

Rev.  Alex.  Owen 1857-1859 

Rev.  S.  Vonnieda 18.59-1869 

Rev.  D.  Berger,  D.D 1869-1893 

Associate:    Rev.  J.  W.  Etter,  D.D 1889-1893 

Rev.  J.  W.  Etter,  D.D 1893-1895 

Rev.  D.  Berger,  D.D 1895 

Associate:    Rev.  H.  A.Thompson,  D.D.,  LL.D 1893 

EDITORS  OF  "UNITY  MAGAZINE." 

Bishop  D.  Edwards 185.3-1&57 

Rev.  Alex.  Owen 1857-18.59 

EDITORS  OF  "QUARTERLY  REVIEW." 

Rev.  J.  W.  Etter,  D.D 1889-1893 

Associates  :    Rev.  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  D.D 1891-1892 

Rev.  J.  P.  Landis,  D.D.,  Ph.D 1891-1892 

Rev.  A.  W.  Drury,  D.D 1891-1892 

Professors  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary 1893 

Rev.  G.  M.  Mathews,  D.D 1894 


HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES  639 

EDITOR  OF  "AVATCHWORD." 
Rev.  H.  F.  Shupe 1893 

p:ditoks  of  German  papers. 

Rev.  John  Russel  (  unofficial ) 1840-1841 

Rev.  Jacob  Erb 1841-1842 

Rev.  N.  Altman 1846-1847 

Rev.  D.  Strickler 1847-1851 

Rev.  Henry  Staub 1851-1855 

Rev.  Julius  Degmeier 1855-1858 

Rev.  S.  Voniiieda 1858-1866 

Rev.  Ezeki el  Light 1 866-1869 

Rev.  William  Mittendorf 1869-1885 

Rev.  Ezekiel  Light 1885-1889 

Rev.  William  Mittendorf 1889-1893 

Rev.  Ezekiel  Light,  D.D.  ^ 1893 

Rev.  William  Mittendorf  ^ 1893-1895 

Rev.  Edward  Lorenz 1895 

EDITORS  OF  "  WOMAN'S  EVANGEL." 

Mrs.  L.  R.  Keister,  M.A 1882-1893 

Associate:  Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller,  M.A 1888-1893 

Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller,  M.A 1893 

EDITORS  OF  "SEARCH  LIGHT." 

Rev.  W.  M.  Bell,  D.D 1895 

Associate:    Rev.  Wm.  McKee,  D.D 1895 

SECRETARIES  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS. 

Rev.  J.  C.  Bright 1853-1857 

Rev.  D.  K.  Flickinger,  D.D 1857-1885 

(Rev.  J.  C.  Bright  acted  as  secretary  for  a  number  of  months 
during  1857  and  1858,  but  was  compelled  by  declining  health  to 
leave  the  work.) 

Rev.  Z.  Warner,  D.D 1885-1887 

Rev.  Wm.  McKee,  Acting  Secretary 1887-1888 

Rev.  B.  F.  Booth,  D.D.  ^ 188.S-1893 

Rev.  W.  M.  Bell,  D.D 1893 

TREASURERS  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  MISSIONS. 

Rev.  John  Kemp 1853-1869 

Rev.  Wm.  McKee 1869-1873 

Rev.  J.  W.  Hott 1873-1877 

Rev.  J.  K.  Billheimer 1877-1885 

Rev.  Wm.  McKee,  D.D 1885 

SECRETARIES  OF  CHURCH-ERECTION  SOCIETY. 

Secretaries  of  Board  of  Missions 1872-1889 

Rev.JohnHilli 1 889-1 890 

Rev.  Wm.  McKee,  Acting  Secretary 1890-1893 

Rev.  C.  I.E.  Brane,  A.M.i 1893-1894 

Rev.  W.  M.  W^eekley 1895 

TREASURERS  OF  CHURCH-EREC^TION  SOCIETY. 

Treasurers  of  Board  of  Missions 1872 

1  Resigned.  ^Djed. 


640  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

SECRETARIES  OF  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION. 

Mrs.  L.  R.  Keister,  M.A 1881-1893 

Mrs.B.  F.  Witt 1893 

TREASURERS  OF  WOMAN'S  MISSIONARY  ASSOCIATION. 

Mrs.  W.  J.  Shuey 1875-1881 

Mrs.  D.  L.  Rike 1881 

SECRETARIES  OF  THE  SABBATH-SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION. 

Rev.  I.  Crouse 1865-1877 

Col.  Robert  Cowden,  Lit.D 1877 

TREASURERS  OF  THE  SABBATH-SCHOOL  ASSOCIATION. 

J.  B.  King 1865-1866 

Rev.  S.  Vonnieda 1866-1880 

Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey 1880 

GENERAL  MANAGER  OF  UNION  BIBLICAL  SEMINARY. 
Rev.  D.  R.  Miller,  D.D 1885 

SECRETARIES  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

Rev.  H.  A.  Thompson,  D.D 1873-1881 

Prof.  J.  P.  Landis,   D.D 1882-1885 

Rev.  L.  Bookwalter,  D.D 1886-1894 

Prof.  S.  D.  Faust,   D.D 1894 

TREASURERS  OF  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

Rev.  L.  Davis,  D.D 1873-1877 

Prof.  G.  A.  Funkhouser,  D.D 1877 

SECRETARIES  OF  THE   YOUNG   PEOPLE'S  CHRISTIAN  UNION. 

Rev.  W.  A.  Dickson 1890-1893 

Rev.  H.  F.  Shupe 1893 

TREASURERS  OF  THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE'S  CHRISTIAN  UNION. 

Chester  B.  Boda 1890-1892 

Z.  W.  Barnard 1892 

SECRETARY  OF  THE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 
Prof.  A.  W.  Drury,  D.D 1885 

LIBRARIANS  OF  THE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

W.  A.  Shuey,  A.xM 1885-1886 

E.  L.  Shuey,  A.M 1886-1895 

W.  A.  Shuey,  A.M 1895 

II.     GENERAL  CHURCH  BOARDS. 

Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Church. 

Board  of  Missions. 

Church-Erection  Board. 

Woman's  Missionary  Board. 

Sunday-School  Board. 

Trustees  of  the  Publishing  House. 

Directors  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary. 


HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES  641 

Board  of  Education. 

Executive  Council  of  Young  People's  Christian  Union. 
Board  of  Managers  of  Historical  Society. 

The  headquarters  of  all  the  general  societies  of  the  Church  are  at  Dayton, 
Ohio. 

III.    EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS. 

Otterbein  University— WesterYille,  Ohio.    Founded,  1847. 

Western  College— Toledo,  Iowa.    Founded,  1S56. 

Westjield  College— West  field,  Illinois.    Founded,  1865. 

Lane  Univei-s^ity—Ijeconipton,  Kansas.    Founded,  1865. 

Philomath  CoZZe^re— Philomath,  Oregon.    Founded,  1865. 

Lebanon  Valley  College— Annxille,  Pennsylvania.    Founded,  1866, 

Avalo7i  College— Avalon,  ^Missouri.    Founded  as  Academy,  1869  ;  as  College,  1881. 

San  Joaquin  Valley  College— Woodhridge,  California.    Founded,  1878. 

U7iion  College— Bnc^hannon,  W.  Va.   Founded  as  Academy,  1883  ;  asCollege,  1896. 

York  College— York,  Nebraska.    Founded,  1890. 

Unio7i  Biblical  Seminary— Theological— Dayton,  Ohio.    Founded,  1871. 

Shenandoah  Institute— Dayton,  Virginia.    Founded,  1876. 

Edwards  Academy— W\i\te  Pine,  Tennessee,    Founded,  1877. 

Erie  Conference  Seminary— '^nguv  Grove,  Warren  County,  Pa.    Founded,  1884. 

Rufus  Clark  and  Wife  Training  /S'c/iooZ— Shaingay,  West  Africa.    Founded,  1887. 

Number  of  students  in  the  above  institutions,  1896,  2,000. 

Number  of  graduates,  including  1896,  1,611. 

IV.    THE  CHURCH. 

HISTORICAL  OUTLINE. 

Philip  William  Otterbein  was  born  in  Germany,  1726  ;  came  to  America 
as  a  Missionary,  1752 ;  Pastor  in  Baltimore,  1774  until  his  death,  1813  ;  Bishop  in 
the  United  Brethren  Church,  1800-1813. 

Religious  Movement  under  Otterbein  and  Boehm,  1766-1800. 

First  Conference,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  1789. 

Church  Formally  Organized  in  Frederick  County,  Maryland,  1800. 

First  General  Conference,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Pennsylvania,  1815. 

Confession  of  Faith  Revised  and  Formally  Adopted,  1815. 

First  Sunday  School  Organized,  in  Corydon,  Indiana,  1820. 

Publishing  House  Established,  at  Circleville,  Ohio,  1834. 

Constitution  Adopted,  First,  1837  ;  Second,  1841. 

First  College  Founded,  Otterbein  University,  1847. 

Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  Organized,  1853. 

Missionary  Work  in  Africa  Begun,  1855. 

Sunday-School  Association  Organized,  1865. 

Board  of  Education  Organized,  1869. 

Church-Erection  Society  Organized,  1869. 

Missionary  Work  in  Germany  Begun,  1870. 

Union  Biblical  Seminary  Founded,  1871. 

Woman's  Missionary  Association  Organized,  1875. 

Missionary  Work  Among  the  Chinese  on  Pacific  Coast  Begun,  1882. 

Missionary  Work  in  China  Begun,  1889. 

Amended  Constitution  and  Revised  Confession  of  Faith  Adopted,  1889. 

Young  People's  Christian  Union  Organized,  June  5,  1890. 

Mission  in  Japan  Opened,  1895. 

Territory  Occupied,  United  States,  Canada,  and  Missions  in  Germany,  Africa, 
China,  and  Japan. 
41 


642  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

GROWTH  IN  MEMBERSHIP. 

18131 10,000  1850» 40,000  1880 157,835 

18201 9,000  18531 47,000  1890 197,123 

ISa^i 20,000  1861  94,453  1895 233,204 

18451 30,000  1870  118,055  1896 238,782 

GENERAL  CONFERENCES. 

1815— Mt.  Pleasant,  Pennsylvania. 

1817— Mt.  Pleasant,  Pennsylvania. 

1821— Mr.  Dewalt  Mechlin's,  Fairfield  County,  Ohio. 

1825— Jacob  Shaup's,  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio. 

1829— Mr.  Dewalt  Mechlin's,  Fairfield  County,  Ohio. 

1833— George  Dresbach's,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio. 

1837— Germantown,  Ohio. 

1841— Dresbach's  Church,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio. 

1845— Circleville,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio. 

1849— Germantown,  Ohio. 

1853— Miltonville,  Ohio. 

1857— Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

1861— Wester vi lie,  Ohio. 

1865— Western,  Iowa. 

1869— Lebanon,  Pennsylvania. 

1873— Dayton,  Ohio. 

1877— Westfield,  Illinois. 

1881— Lisbon,  Iowa. 

1885— Fostoria,  Ohio. 

1889— York,  Pennsylvania. 

1893— Dayton,  Ohio. 

1897— Toledo,  Iowa. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  ANNUAL  CONFERENCES. 

First  conference  of  ministers  of  the  East  was  held  in  1789. 
A  second  conference  of  ministers  was  held  in  1791. 

Following  these,  necessary  business  was  transacted  at  "big  meetings,"  or  on 
the  authority  of  two  or  more  preachers,— 1792-1799. 

The  original  conference  in  the  East  was  constituted  in  1800. 

TIME  OF  ORGANIZATION. 

The  First  Six  Conferences  wei-e: 

Original  Conference 1800 

Miami 1810 

Muskingum 1818 

Scioto 1825 

Indiana 1830 

Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  conferences  made  separate 1831 

Allegheny 1839 

Arkansas  Valley 1881 

Auglaize  ( first  called  Maumee ) 1853 

California 1864 

Central  Illinois 1865 

Central  Ohio 1878 

1  Estimated. 


HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES  643 

Chickamauga 1896 

Colorado 1872 

Columbia  River  ( first  called  Cascade,  then  Walla  Walla ) 1865 

Dakota  ( now  not  a  separate  conference ) 1871 

Des  Moines 1861 

East  German 1870 

East  Nebraska I873 

East  Ohio  (by  union  of  Muskingum  and  Western  Reserve ) 1886 

East  Pennsylvania I847 

Elkhorn  (now  not  a  separate  conference) 1882 

Elkhorn  and  Dakota  united 1885 

Erie 1853 

Fox  River  ( now  not  a  separate  conference ) 1861 

Germany 1879 

Hagerstown  (the  original  conference,  no  longer  distinctly  preserved) 1800 

Illinois 1845 

Indiana 1830 

Iowa 1845 

Kansas I857 

Kentucky 1850 

Lower  Wabash  ( by  division  of  Wabash ) 1858 

Maryland 1887 

Miami I810 

Michigan  (first  called  North  Michigan) 1862 

Minnesota 1857 

Missouri 1858 

Muskingum  ( part  of  East  Ohio ) 1818 

Neosho 1870 

North  Michigan  (first  called  Saginaw) 1877 

North  Ohio  ( first  called  Michigan ) I853 

Northwest  Kansas  (first  called  West  Kansas) 1879 

Ohio  German 1853 

Ontario  (first  called  Canada) 1856 

Oregon 1855 

Parkersburg 1858 

Pennsylvania  ( by  division  of  Hagerstown  Conference ) 1831 

Rock  River 1853 

St.  Joseph 1846 

Sandusky 1834 

Scioto 1825 

Sherbro 1884 

Southern  Missouri  ( first  called  Southwest  Missouri ) 1881 

Southwest  Kansas 1893 

Tennessee 1866 

Tennessee  River 1896 

Upper  Wabash  ( by  division  of  Wabash ) 1858 

Virginia  (by  division  of  Hagerstown  Conference) 1831 

Wabash  (no  longer  distinctly  preserved) 18;^ 

West  Nebraska 1878 

Western  Reserve  ( part  of  East  Ohio ) 1853 

White  River 1846 

Wisconsin 1858 


644 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 

STATISTICS  FOR  1896, 


Conferences. 


10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
23. 
24. 
25. 
26. 
27. 
28. 
29. 
30. 
31. 
32. 
33. 
34. 
35. 
36. 
37. 


Allegheny 

Arkansas  Valley. 

Auglaize 

California 

Central  Illinois.. 

Central  Ohio 

Colorado 

Columbia  River. 

Des  Moines 

East  German  .... 
East  Nebraska. .. 

East  Ohio 

East  Pennsylv'ia 

Elk.  and  Dak 

Erie  

Illinois 

Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Lower  Wabash.. 

Maryland 

Miami 

Michigan  

Minnesota 

Missouri 

Neosho 

N.  W.  Kansas . . . . 
North  Michigan. 

North  Ohio 

Ohio  German  — 

Ontario 

Oregon 

Parkersburg 

Pennsylvania  . .. 

Rock  River 

Sandusky 

Scioto  

St.  Joseph 

S.  Missouri 

S.  W.  Kansas  — 

Tennessee 

Upper  Wabash.. 

Virginia 

West  Nebraska.. 

White  River 

Wisconsin 

Germany 

Africa 

Japan  

China  


Totals,  1896.. 
Totals,  1895.. 


O 


Increase. 
Decrease 


209 

105 

124 

21 

57 

66 

21 

4i 

140 

97 

69 

13: 

79 

41 

122 

66 

163 

133 

94 

25 

199 

31 

94 

25 

36 

92 

80 

111 

36 

78 

43 

38 

30 

259 

138 

3' 

141 

138 

152 

36 

27 

50 

117 

169 

79 

111 

55 

23 

12 

3 


4,250 
4,241 


fl 

u 

rA 

^ 

<V 

r1 

fl 

O 

0 

^ 

A 

75 

11 

;59 

11 

45 

13 

19 

f) 

25 

11 

33 

16 

10 

6 

17 

6 

59 

20 

49 

15 

39 

9 

68 

26 

62 

o 

16 

7 

(i3 

14 

38 

44 

30 

62 

21 

32 

18 

16 

4 

66 

25 

12 

10 

53 

17 

16 

3 

21 

28 

9 

34 

14 

33 

3 

23 

4 

35 

8 

12 

9 

12 

8 

40 

47 

6() 

8 

16 

4 

48 

38 

17 

78 

0.7 

13 

12 

14 

23 

23 

41 

28 

1,718 
1,669 


49      39 


12,383 
3,397 
6,.531 
789 
3,498 
4,974 
798 
1,118 
5,372 
6,552 
4,012 
9,262 
8,313 
1,000 
3,861 
3,327 

10,082 

6,800 

4,151 

605 

11,360 
3,022 

11,167 
958 
1,343 
3,212 
3,470 
3,824 
96 
4,012 
2,311' 
1,426 
1,114 

11,400 

11,653 
1,471 
9,966 
8,827 

10,939 

1,450 

977 

1,857 

7,437 

9,652 

2,235 

7,183 

2,070 

879 

5,662 

100 

12 


238,782 
233,204 


Dh2 


II 


1,571 
1,419 


3,381 

1,170 

1,285 

338 

881 

1,131 

250 

290 

1,629 

3,107 

1,659 

2,891 

2,966 

271 

1,481 

1,360 

1,444 

2,130 

1,613 


1,835 

810 

3,135 

256 

629 

651 

1,243 

1,567 

361 

1,339 

609 

490 

253 

1,603 

3,622 

590 

2,914 

1,378 

2,780 

162 

250 

358 

1,602 

1,501 

701 

1,708 

776 

160 


62,639 
56,405 


168 
3 
93 
24 

2' 
55 
80 
96 

28 

do 

35 
32 
22 
203 
11 
33 
134 
145 
146 

r 

20 
29 
108 
145 
63 
91 
55 
16 
11 


h^ 


3,646 
3,573 


152  6,234 


14,631 
3,766 
9,176 
1,108 
3,770 
5,003 
1,200 
860 
6,137 
9,682 
3,788 

10,020 

11,188 
1,077 
5,851 
2,870 
7,12 
5,999 
4,601 
270 

10,672 
3,111 

11,-555 
1,55.3 
1,629 
3,055 
3,680 
5,300 
1,168 
4, 
2,930 
1,956 
1,243 

12,080 

15,503 
2,150 

11,854 
8,870 

11,925 

1,132 

955 

1,917 

6,933 

8,180 

2,920 

6,572 

2,477 

655 

626 


255,498 
246,268 


9,2:50 


1,908 
627 

1,158 
160 
554 
718 
130 
91 
909 

1,289 
539 

1,356 

1,527 
201 
851 
473 

1,034 
887 
769 
50 

1,684 
510 

1,505 
225 
249 
358 
559 
718 
226 
771 
392 
239 

1,603 

2,066 

344 

1,789 

1,152 

1,756 

131 

16 

188 

1,047 

1,072 

480 

966 

362 

52 

50 


«37,016  14 

8,281  72 

16,778  81 

4,687  37 

12,241  67 

12,769  54 

4,046  60 

2,865  48 

23,224  93 

20,947  06 

13,539  84 

24,452  93 

23,694  75 

2,865  75 

16,813  83 

10,968  63 

11,398  99 

6,718  93 

11,583  51 

270  53 

14,-550  98 

5,584  27 

29,581  73 

3,591  (34 

5,690  79 

6,710  97 

7,579  93 

8,983  81 

3,108  47 

10,747  90 

9,742  27 

3,737  42 

3,182  65 

13,367  67 

31,192  15 

7,748  28 

31,667  39 

12,945  79 

29,532  00 

3,012  20 

2,117  48 

2,327  80 

16,316  72 

13,020  12 

4,670  29 

13,683  55 

7,830  10 

392  11 

133  28 


35,363 
35,160 


$567,886  77 
569,514  29 


$1,627 


HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES 
UNITED   BRETHREN   IN  CHRIST. 


645 


i 

f 

0 
1 

o 

<D 

"3 

0 
So 

1 

11 

1^ 

^ 

1 

A 

3«« 

0 

dW 

'c€^ 

6 

rt 

u 

H 

o 

o 

H 

^ 

>o 

^ 

> 

1 

$38,269  18 

$4,322  30 

$194  27 

$2,064  55 

$88,051  22 

180 

$407,452 

32 

$50,730 

2 

4,011  84 

300  16 

21  63 

48  12 

13,362  68 

32 

41,400 

10 

.5,000 

3 

12,340  75 

1,677  29 

110  65 

155  63 

33,631  04 

115 

143,900 

12 

8,325 

4 

2,312  48 

327  50 

19  00 

317  75 

8,266  26 

13 

25,450 

11 

9,550 

5 

5,606  80 

1,126  41 

74  22 

651  46 

21,306  82 

54 

76,720 

19 

13,.590 

6 

9,325  25 

2,092  32 

217  20 

1,167  27 

27,611  68 

64 

104,985 

6 

11,000 

7 

1,950  54 

266  54 

7  25 

16  40 

6,936  21 

9 

30,6.50 

7 

.5,600 

8 

919  27 

100  95 

21  85 

3  50 

4,163  62 

10 

15,700 

6 

3,425 

9 

14,697  67 

1,287  07 

114  36 

2,098  21 

43,466  28 

87 

122,520 

28 

18,000 

10 

20,636  59 

2,865  42 

198  50 

623  88 

51,100  12 

8.5 

258,275 

15 

.32,100 

11 

3,766  21 

670  18 

40  23 

1,933  60 

21,259  96 

52 

65,240 

16 

8,150 

12 

21,508  48 

2,446  02 

181  90 

545  50 

63,373  62 

126 

303,225 

11 

9,600 

13 

16,974  48 

3,956  40 

409  40 

1,124  32 

52,101  71 

74 

167,766 

20 

37,725 

14 

544  89 

134  50 

5  00 

562  41 

4,362  88 

16 

12,270 

4 

1,500 

15 

905  72 

1,210  20 

104  03 

927  29 

22,175  61 

83 

123,816 

29 

20,275 

16 

2,817  40 

769  17 

82  91 

658  25 

16,000  87 

59 

80,6.50 

18 

11,825 

17 

7,601  85 

1,151  86 

47  85 

173  75 

21,757  43 

125 

98,692 

15 

6,755 

18 

15,191  61 

1,765  68 

89  75 

2,494  99 

28,747  28 

100 

185,625 

33 

29,000 

19 

7,324  67 

613  27 

50  77 

327  13 

21,3.53  15 

52 

66,940 

19 

12,670 

20 

73  39 
11,731  41 

6  20 
1,736  34 

358  42 
33,214  96 

11 

150 

3,000 
141,419 

21 

78'2i 

"2,568 '40 

"i5 

10,450 

22 

2,934  96 

1,101  78 

159  50 

284  88 

11,346  00 

a5 

78,975 

7 

11,2.50 

23 

26,854  16 

5,357  22 

2,118  48 

3,682  76 

75,024  26 

90 

341,485 

20 

28,400 

24 

3,766  76 

396  67 

44  60 

21  00 

8,690  97 

11 

20,950 

3 

2,400 

25 

2,994  23 

327  95 

126  00 

77  06 

9,893  64 

21 

24,000 

10 

6,.500 

26 

3,813  57 

655  10 

18  33 

14  50 

12,096  97 

40 

36,635 

8 

4,515 

27 

6,034  18 

449  81 

75  20 

27  70 

15,150  39 

36 

38,225 

14 

4,935 

28 

2,909  34 

511  55 

81  12 

28  60 

13,821  00 

33 

51,900 

12 

5,200 

29 

1,033  53 

77  97 

11  45 

11  00 

3,639  42 

16 

17,430 

5 

2,:^ 

30 

4,907  28 

1,005  69 

39  50 

3,015  50 

21,734  23 

84 

114,-579 

15 

11,600 

31 

5,588  04 

2,050  87 

39  00 

95  25 

19,166  35 

38 

108,150 

21 

22,500 

32 

2,406  37 
1,323  50 

507  43 
235  96 

11  00 
14  49 

19  80 

20  90 

7,205  74 
5,230  39 

29 

21 

36,825 
48,100 

33 

"6 

2,m 

34 

13,938  72 

829  89 

72  00 

361  50 

30,248  14 

171 

208,4.30 

23 

10,400 

35 

25,848  67 

5,993  24 

385  75 

1,224  30 

72,115  23 

135 

357,964 

30 

55,484 

36 

1,246  79 

84  90 

220  16 

10,203  88 
82,234  58 

32 

46,950 
301,270 

12 

8,1.50 
25.965 

37 

"'37,85i"67 

3,950  02 

218  22 

1,420  13 

132 

26 

38 

11,576  37 

783^ 

95  96 

113  34 

27,301  29 

139 

119,275 

4 

3,750 

39 

17,108  00 

3,169  00 

181  00 

723  00 

54,504  00 

138 

237,785 

27 

27,2;^ 

40 

360  80 

139  79 

5  46 

17  25 

3,791  71 

15 

18,120 

3 

1,800 

41 

255  43 

152  60 

18  00 

2J^  41 

2,912  82 

9 

8,800 

1 

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42 

112  70 

181  33 

9  17 

31  00 

3,040  65 

22 

19,(KIU 

1 

1,200 

43 

9,699  22 

1,323  70 

229  50 

624  86 

30,407  53 

100 

131,200 

17 

11,266 

44 

9,415  27 

1,266  93 

164  21 

132  34 

25,662  62 

119 

111,471 

14 

11,706 

45 

1,539  80 

107  28 

11  50 

54  15 

6,882  42 

19 

20,500 

8 

2,925 

46 

12,991  62 

1,638  54 

105  50 

377  10 

30,661  34 

107 

137,860 

8 

4,900 

47 

5,170  45 

373  87 

70  25 

131  00 

14,405  03 

42 

43,740 

8 

4,900 

48 

1,134  49 
436  93 

488  98 
340  85 

211  45 
15  34 

2,359  93 
1,158  08 

7 
12 

30,875 
10,370 

6 

5,000 

49 
50 

""262  06 

538 

51 

•  •  •  •  • 



^10,413  94 

$63,498  14 

$6,685  80 

$31,325  90 

$1,173,490  43 

3,147 

$.5,197,159 

660 

$583,089 

384,339  02 

69,915  94 

6,350  67 

48,490  94 

1,186,922  96 

3,104 

5,197,420 

612 

512,040 

$26,074  92 

$;»5  13 

43 

48 

$71,049 

'$6,4i7'86 

siV'ios'oi 

""$13,432 '53 

$26i 

646 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 


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HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES 


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HISTORICAL  AND  STATISTICAL  TABLES 


649 


STATISTICS  OF  UNITED  BRETHREN  CHURCH  AS  GIVEN  BY 
CENSUS  OF  1890,  BY  STATES. 


States. 


California 

Colorado 

Idaho 

Illinois 

Indiana 

Iowa 

Kansas 

Kentucky 

Maryland 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Missouri 

Nebraska 

New  York 

Ohio 

Oregon 

Pennsylvania  . 
South  Dakota . 

Tennessee 

Virginia 

Washington... 
West  Virginia. 
Wisconsin 


2  c  j2 


Total 3,731 


24 

18 

2 

320 

569 

213 

322 

13 

57 

138 

35 

105 

147 

35 

745 

13 

526 

27 

27 

71 

18 

259 

47 


245 

476 

148 

128^ 
11 
55 
93 
23 
45i 
7o 
23 


2,837 


(DO 


3,825 
1,800 


67,495 

154,762 

29,810 

33,200 

2,400 
14,300 
27,405 

4,975 
14,150 
16,775 

5,975 
205,755 

2,100 
147,036 

1,175 

5,000 
11,500 

3,400 
^,170 

8,8.50 


816,458 


10 

2 

58 

62 

63 

181 

1 

"44' 
12 
53 
65 
12 
34 
5 
54 
18 
9 


•-5  ft 
00 


780 


915 

1,500 

200 

10,345 

10,425 

8,3.55 

20,280 

75 

■  5,5i5 
1,4.50 
5,.S25 
5,085 
1,015 
5,295 

075 
5,110 
1,225 
1,.305 

375 

700 
7,765 

100 


r.    P    '^ 

5  S  o 


$28,400 
32,800 


260,075 

551,636 

211,323 

183,770 

4,700 

11.3,789 

1.33,2.50 

23,375 

47,825 

84,950 

.34,0.50 

1,198,870 

11,100 

1,086,1.35 

4,1.50 

13,985 

6.5,940 

22,000 

140.645 

39,275 


93,035    5^,292,643 


585 

100 

15,429 

35,824 

10,401 

13,768 

567 

4,736 

.5,201 

803 

4,.361 

.5,673 

9.53 

47,678 

493 

33,951 

493 

1,141 

5,.306 

494 

12,242 

1,687 


202,474 


SUMMARY  OF  CHURCH   PROPERTY. 

Value  of  Churches  1 

Value  of  Parsonages  ^ 

Publishing  House,  Assets^ 

Missionary  Society  2  — 

Permanent  Fund |92,(M8  36 

Mission  Property ^^'^  ^ 

$147,048  36 

Deduct  property  reported  as  churches 46,783-00 

Church-Erection  Society,  Permanent  Fund  2 

Woman's  Missionary  Association,  Property  ' «33,400  00 

Deduct  property  reported  as  churches ^>^'^^  ^^ 

Educational  Institutions  1  - 

Buildings  and  Grounds ?W35,3^0  uu 

Endowment 31.3,643  00 

Contingent  Assets ,lit^ 

Libraries lb, ^oo  uu 

Cabinets  and  Apparatus ^^'"^"'^  ^ 


'  1897. 


$5,197,159  00 
583,089  00 
378,260  90 


100,265  36 
48,000  00 


24,400  00 


971, .528  00 
$7,302,702  26 


650 


THE  UNITED  BRETHREN  IN  CHRIST 


SUNDAY  SCHOOLS. 


1. 

2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 
8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 

13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 

18. 


Church  Originated 1766-1800 

First  Known  Sunday  School,  near  Corydon,  Indiana 1820 

First  Sunday  School  in  Otterbein's  Church,  Baltimore,  Maryland 1827 

First  Sunday-School  Song  Book,  Words  Only 1842 

First  Mention  of  "Sabbath-School"  in  Book  of  Discipline 1849 

First  Children's  Paper  Published 18,>4 

First  Organization  of  Sunday-School  Board  of  Managers 1865 

First  Notes  on  International  Sunday-School  Lessons,  at  Commence- 
ment of  System,  January 1873 

First  Sunday-School  Song  Book  with  Music 1873 

First  Sunday-School  Library  Published 1874 

First  Sunday-School  Normal  Class,  at  Gallon,  Ohio 1876 

First  Sunday-School  Normal  Institute,  Chautauqua  Method,  Arcanum, 

Ohio,  October 1877 

First  Children's  Day,  July  4 1880 

First  Sunday-School  Assembly,  Lisbon,  Iowa,  August 1880 

Organization  of  Home  Reading  Circle 1881 

Organization  of  Bible  Normal  Union,  October  19 1886 

Adoption  of  Plan  of  Annual  Examination  on  International  Sunday- 
School  Lessons,  April 1890 

General    Movement   Toward   Introduction  of    Home   Department  In 

Sunday  School,  September  14 1891 


STATISTICAL. 


Number  in  Sunday  Schools — 

1865 78,099 

1870 128,812 

1875 1 60,900 

1880 185,960 


188,5 194,758 

1890 245,447 

1895 286,428 

1896 290,861 


Chautauqua  Normal  Union,  1874-1884 500 

Assembly  Normal  Union,  January  1,  1884,-October  19,  1886 524 

Bible  Normal  Union,  October  19,  1886,-April  24,  1893 3,624 

ORDINATION  OF   BISHOPS.^ 


Otterbein 
ordained 

in  the 

Reformed  " 

Church, 

1749. 


Newcomer, 

1813. J 


Zeller,  1815. 

f  Coons,  Newcomer  f  Davis,  Kumler, 
Ku-ler,         I  jj|-Wln|3lS26...  I  Jun.,ass,st,„g,1842. 

*^^-'«''- [Edwards,  im{™*K,^eM853. 

f  Weaver,  1848. 
Kephart,  1861. 
Brown,  1819.  -|  Glossbrenner,  1833.  i  Hott,  Markwood 

I      assisting,  1864. 
t  Mills,  1872. 

Russel,  Hoffman  assisting,  1822. 
Kumler,  Jun.,  Hoffman  assisting,  1822. 
Hiestand,  Hoffman  and  Kumler,  Sen.,  assisting,  1824. 
Erb,  Kumler,  Sen.,  f  Markwood,  1841. -{  Castle,  186L 
assisting,  1825  . ..  (  Dickson,  1850. 


Hoffman  f  Assisted  in  ordaining  — 

Monman,  Russel.  1822. 


1813.. 


)      Kumler,  Jun.,  1822. 
[     Hiestand,  1824. 


Rev.  Frederick  Schaffer,  1813,  never  a  bishop. 

Shuck,  1847.  In  the  absence  of  a  bishop,  ordained 
by  Rev.  John  Lopp,  who  was  himself  ordained  by 
Bishop  Kumler,  Sen.,  in  1833. 


>See  article  on  "Ordination  in  the  United  Brethren  Church,"  by  Dr.  A.  W. 
Drury,  in  the  United  Brethren  Quartei-ly  Review,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  281,  282. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY' 


I.     The  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  — Its   Doctrine, 
History,  Organization,  and  Worship  in  General. 
Berger    D     in  Americayi  Church  Histm-y  Series,  Vol.  XII.    New  York,  Christian 
Literature    Co.,    1894.  — In   Schaff-Hei'zog   Encyclopedia   of  Religious   Knowl- 
edge.   Vol.  IV.    Third  revised  edition.    New  York,  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Co., 

1891. 
Carroll,  H.  K.,    The  Beligious  Forces  of  the  United  States.    New  York,  Christian 

Literature  Co.,  1893.  ,.     „     .     ^ 

Drury    A.  W.,  in  People's  Cyclopedia  of  Universal  Knowledge.    Vol.  III.    Revised 

edition.'  New  York,  Hunt  &  Eaton,  1886.  — (Editor),  Disciplines  of  the  United 

Brethren  in  Christ,  18U-18l,l.    1895. 
Drury,  M.  R.,  in  Columbian  Cyclopedia.    Vol.  XXX.    New  Y'ork  (now  Buffalo), 

Garretson,  Cox  &  Co.,  1893. 
Fisher,   G.   P.,   History  of  the  Christian  Church.    New  York,  Charles  Scribner's 

Sons,  1893. 
Hurst,    J.    F.,    iShort  History  of  the    Christian    Church.      New    York,    Harper  & 

Brothers,  1893. 
Kephart,  E.  B.,  A  Manual  of  Church  Discipline  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Chnst. 

1895. 
Origin,  Doctrine,  Constitution,  and  Discipline  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    In 

English  and  German.    Revised  quadrennially.    Last  edition,  1897. 
Shuey    E.  L.,  Handbook  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    Last  edition,  1897. 
Shuey'  W    J.',  in  Mcaintock  and  Strong's  Cyclopedia  of  Biblical,  Theological,  and 

Ecclesiastical  Literature.    Vol.  X.    New  York,  Harper  &  Brothers,  1869-87. 
Weaver,  J.,  in  Sanford's  Concise  Cyclopedia  of  Beligious  Knoivledge.    New  York, 

Charles  L.  Webster  &  Co.,  1890. 

II.  Manuscript  Collections  of  Historical  Material. 
The  library  of  the  Historical  Society  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren 
in  Christ,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  contains  the  ordination  license  and  a  number  of 
letters  of  Otterbein,  and  possesses  manuscripts  and  records  pertaining  to  the 
history  of  the  Church.  Among  these  are  the  records  of  numerous  annual 
conferences  and  of  some  local  congregations. 

The  official  records  of  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Conferences  from 
the  beginning  are  in  charge  of  the  publishing  agent,  at  Dayton. 

III.    Printed  Collections. 

1.    Bibliography. 

Snuey,  W.  A.,  Manual  of  the  United  Brethren  Publishing  House:    Historical  and 

Descriptive.    1892.    Pp.  303-322. 
Catalogue  of  the  United  Brethren  Publishing  House.    Issued  annually. 

1  All  the  books  here  mentioned,  unless  otherwise  stated,  are  published  by 
the  United  Brethren  Publishing  House. 

651 


652  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

2.    Statistics. 
Carroll,  H.  K.,    Tlic  Religious  Forces  of  the   United  States.    New  York,  Christian 

Literature  Co.,  1893. 
Shuey,  W.  J.,   Year-Book  of  the  United  Brethren  in   ClirM.    Published  annually 
since  1867. 
A  table  of   comparative  statistics,  from  1813  to  1887,  was  published  in  the 
Year-Book  for  1888.    A  revised  table,  brought  down  to  1896,  is  printed  on  pp. 
646-648  of  this  volume. 

3.    Minutes  of  General  and  Annual  Conferences. 

Proceedings  of  the  General  Conferences  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    Published 
quadrennially  since  1865.    Stenographically  reported  (except  1865).    Edited 
by  W.  J.  Shuey. 
Most  of  the  annual  conferences  issue  the  minutes  of  their  annual  sessions 
in  pamphlet  form.    Files  of  these  (not  complete)  are  preserved  in  the  library 
of  the  United  Brethren  Historical  Society,  at  Dayton.    Minutes  are  also  pub- 
lished in  the  Religious  Telescope,  Dayton. 

It.    Histones  of  Conferences. 

Luttrell,  J.  L.,  History  of  the  Auglaize  Annual   Conference  of  the   United  Brethren 

Church,  from  1853  to  1891.     1892. 
McKee,  W.,  History  of  the  Miami  Annual  Conference.    In  Religious  Telescope,  Yol. 

LII.  (1886),  pp.  98,  114,  130,  162,  178,290,386,498,530,546,562;  Vol.  LIII.  (1887), 

pp.  50,  146;  Vol.  LVI.  (1890),  p.  596. 
Mathers,  W.,  Brief  History  of  Sandusky  Conference.    Toledo,  Ohio. 

5.    Histories  of  Institutions. 

Bookwalter,  L.,  A  Brief  History  of  Western  College.  To  1876.  Western  College, 
Western  (now  Toledo),  Iowa,  1876. 

Cowden,  R.,  A  Century  of  Sabbath- School  Work  in  the  United  Brethren  Church.  Art- 
icle in  Quarterly  Revieiv  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ,  Vol.  IV.,  No.  2.    1893. 

FliCkinger,  D.  K.,  Our  Missionary  Work  from  1853  to  1889.    1889. 

This  work  contains  a  history  of  the  operations  of  the  missionary 
societies  of  the  Church,  and  includes  biographies  of  officers  and  mis- 
sionaries. 

Garst,  H.,  History  of  Otterbein  University.    In  preparation. 

Landis,  J.  P.,  History  of  Union  Biblical  Seminary.    In  preparation. 

Marot,  Mrs.  B.,  Miller,  Mrs.  L.  K.,  and  Keister,  Mrs.  L.  R.,  History  of  the 
Woman^s  2Iissionary  Association  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  Last  edition, 
with  supplement  by  Mrs.  B.  Marot,  Mrs.  L.  K.  Miller,  and  Mrs.  B.  F.  Witt. 
1894. 

Shuey,  W.  A.,  Manual  of  the  United  Brethren  JPublisJiing  House:  Historical  and 
Descriptive.    18;i4-1892.     Illustrated.    1892. 

This   manual    inclvides    biographical    sketches  of   editors,  publishing 
agents,  and  trustees,  with  numerous  portraits,  and  a  bibliographj-. 
For  a  brief  historical  outline  of  Otterbein  University,  see  H.  Garst  in  the 

United  Brethren  Year-Book  for  1888,  and  ]M.  R.  Drury  in  Columbian  Cyclopedia; 

of  Union  Biblical  Seminary,  see  United  Brethren  Year- Book  ior  1888;  of  Western 

College,  see  W.  ]\1.  Beardshear  in   United  Brethren  Year-Book  for  1889;  of  Young 

People's  Christian  Union,  see  United  Brethren  Year-Book  for  1891,  and  Religious 

Telescope,  Vol.  LVI  I.  (1891),  p.  282. 

6.    Histories  of  Congregations. 
As  the  history  of  congregations  is  chiefly  of  local  interest,  no  attempt  is 
here  made  to  present  a  list  of  such  publications. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  653 

7.     Collections  of  Biographies. 
Thompson,  H.  A.,  Our  Bvshops.    Portraits.    Chicago,  1889. 
5.     Legal  Trials  and  Decisions. 

Circuit  Court  of  the  Second  Circuit,  Montgomery  County,  Ohio,  Decision  in  the 

PublLshing  House  Case.    1891. -June  Term,  1891  (testimony  of  plaintiffs  iu 

Bike  et  al.  v.  Floyd  et  al.),  printed  depositions  of   Dr.  Pliilip  Schaft",  Dr. 

James  Strong,  and  Bishop  J.  M.  Walden  on  the  Revised  Confession  of 

Faith  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 
Drury,    A.    W.,    Ecclesiastical    Constitution,    Considered  in  Reference  to  the  Recent 

Changes  Adopted  by  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    1890. 
Shuey,  W.  J.,  An  Outline  History  of  Our  Church  Troubles.    1889. 
Supreme  Court  of  Indiana,  Decision  in  the  Case  of  the   United  Brethren  in  Christ 

vs.  the  Seceders  from  Said  Church.    1891. 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  Affirmation  of  Decision  of  Circuit  Court.    1895. 
Supreme  Court  of  Pennsylvania,  Decision  in  the  Case  of  the  United  Brethren  in 

Christ  vs.  the  Seceders  from  Said  Church.    1893. 
Weaver    J.,  and  Shuey,  W.  J.,  A  Consideration  of  the  Acts  of  the  General   Co7i- 

ference  of  1SS5.    1888. 
The  above  are  only  a  few  of  the  numerous  publications  relating  to  the 
recent  controversy  in  the  denomination,  and  to  the  legal  trials  resulting  from 
the  division  in  the  Church  which  occurred  in   1889.    Many  others  have  been 
issued  by  the  United  Brethren  Publishing  House. 

9.  Miscellaneous. 
The  files  of  the  Religious  Telescope,  from  the  founding  in  1834  to  the  present, 
preserved  at  the  Publishing  House  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  are  replete  with  valuable 
information  bearing  upon  ail  phases  of  the  life  of  the  Church.  The  Unity 
Magazine,  18.53-59,  and  the  Quarterly  Review,  founded  in  1890,  also  contain  articles 
relating  to  the  history,  doctrine,  and  polity,  and  to  the  educational,  missionary, 
and  other  work  of  the  Church. 

IV.    Denominational.  Relations. 
Drury,  A.  W.,  in  Life  of  Rev.  Philip  William  Otterbein.    1884. 

V.    Histories. 

1.     General. 

Berger,  D.,  History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.   Illustrated.    1897. 

Hanby*  w!,  History  of  the   Church  of  the    United  Brethren  in  ChrUt,  from  1825  to 

1S50.    Circleville,  Ohio,  United  Brethren  Publishing  House,  18.51. 
Lawrence,  J.,  History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    First  edition, 

two  vols.,  18(30-61.    Last  edition,  two  vols,  in  one,  1888. 
Mittendorf,  W.,  Kirchengescliichte  der  Vereinigten  Briider  in  Christo.    (A  transla- 
tion of  Lawrence's  History.)    1871. 
Spayth,  H.  G.,  History  of  the  Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    Circleville, 
Ohio,  United  Brethren  Publishing  House,  1851. 

2.    Local. 
Becker,  H.  J.,  History  of  the  United  Brethren  Church  in  California.     Sacramento, 

California. 
Flickinger,  D.  K.,  and  McKee,  W.,  Ethiopia  Coming  to  God;  or,  Missionary  Life  in 

Western  Africa.    Including  a  History  of   Sherbro  and  Other  Missions  of 

the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.    Illustrated.    1885. 


6.54  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

VI.    Biographies. 

Davis,  L.,  Life  of  Bishop  David  Edwards,  D.D.    1883. 

Drury,  A.  W.,  Life  of  Bev.  Philip    William   Otterhein.    18Si.  —  Life  of  Bishop  J.  J. 

Glossbrenner,  D.D.    1889. 
Newcomer,    Christian,    Life   and  Journal.      Hagerstown,  Maryland,    ¥.  G.  W. 

Kapp,  1834. 
Weaver,  J.,   Philip  William  Otterbein.     In  Lives  of  the  Leadeis  of  the  Church 

Universal,  edited  by  F.  Piper  and  H.  M.  MacCracken.    1879. 

A  brief  biography  of  Philip  William  Otterbein  may  be  found  in  nearly 

every    cyclopedia,   general,    biographical,    and    religious,    published    in 

America. 

VII.    Doctrinal,  Symbolical,  Controversial,  and  Practical. 

Bookwalter,  L.,  The  Family;  or,  The  Home  and  the  Training  of  Children.    1894. 

Drury,  A.  W.,  The  Revised  Confession  of  Faith  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 
1890. 

Edwards,  D.,  Youth''s  Scripture  Compend.    1871. 

Etter,  J.  W.,  T?ie  Preacher  and  His  Sermon.  A  Treatise  on  Homiletics.  1883.— 
The  Doctrine  of  Christian  Baptism.    1888.  — The  Thorn  in  the  Flesh.    1892. 

Hoke,  J.,  Holiness;  or.  The  Higher  Christimi  Life.    Revised  edition.    1872. 

Hott,  J.  W.,  on  Future  Punishment.  In  That  Unknown  Cmintry.  Springfield, 
Massachusetts,  C.  A.  Nichols  &  Co.,  1889. 

Lorenz,  E.  S.,  Getting  Ready  for  a  Revival.  1888.  — (Editor),  The  Coming  Revival. 
By  Twelve  Diflferent  Writers.    1887. 

Shuey,  W.  J.,  and  Flickinger,  D.  K.,  Discourses  on  Doctrinal  and  Practical 
Subjects.    1859. 

Weaver,  J.  (Editor),  CJu-istian  Doctnne.  By  Thirty-seven  Different  Writers. 
1889.  —  (Author),  Practical  CommeiU  07i  the  Confession  of  Faith  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ.  1892.  —  Discourses  on  t?ie  Resurrection.  1871.  —  Divine  Provi- 
dence.   1873.—  jTTic  Doctrine  of  Universal  Restoration  Careftdly  Examined.    1878. 

VIII.    Hymnology. 

Lantlium,  W.  H.,  and  Lorenz,  E.  S.,  Hymns  for  the  Sanctuary  and  Social  Worshij). 
Prepared  by  order  of  the  General  Conference  of  1873,  under  the  supervision 
of  a  committee  consisting  of  Rev.  W.  H.  Lanthurn,  Rev.  W.  J.  Shuey, 
S.  E.  Kumler,  Rev.  I.  Baltzell,  and  Rev.  D.  Berger.    1874. 

Lorenz,  E.  S.,  The  Otterbein  Hymnal.  Prepared  by  order  of  the  General  Con- 
ference of  1889.  Advisory  committee,  S.  E.  Kumler,  C.  H.  Lyon,  Mrs.  A.  B. 
Shauck,  Judge  J.  A.  Shauck,  and  Dr.  J.  P.  Landis.     1890. 

Lorenz,  E.  S.,  and  Baltzell,  Isaiall,  separately  and  together  have  been  the 
editors  and  authors  of  an  extended  list  of  music-books,  chiefly  for  the 
Sunday  school.  For  complete  record,  see  Catalogue  of  the  United  Breth- 
ren Publishing  House, 

Rhinehart,  W.  R.,  The  American  Church  Harp.    1856. 

Rhinehart,  W.  R.,  and  Erb,  Jacob,  Hymn- Book  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ. 
I8;i3. 

Sbuey,  W.  J.,  Hanby,  William,  and  Chittenden,  L.  S.,  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for 
the  Use  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ.  Prepared  by  order  of  the  General 
Conference  of  1857.    1858. 

Spaytb,  H.  G.,  A  Collection  of  Hymns  for  the  Use  of  the  United  Brethren  in  CJirist. 
Prepared  by  order  of  the  General  Conference  of  1845.    1849. 
For  other  publications  of  this  class  see  p.  406  of  this  volume,  the  Manual 

of  the  United  Brethren  Publishing  House,  pp.  314-317,  and  the  Catalogue  of   the 

United  Brethren  Publishing  House. 


APPENDICES 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  I 

THE  CONFESSION  OF  FAITH  OF  THE  UNITED  BRETHREN 
IN  CHRIST— ITS  VARIOUS  CHANGES  ^ 

Correctness  attested  by  A.  W.  Drury,  D.D.,  and  J.  P.  Landis,  D.D. 
CONFESSION    IN    USE    PEIOR    TO    1815. 

*' Akticle  1.  In  the  name  of  God  we  confess  before  all  men,  that 
we  believe  in  the  only  true  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  ; 
that  these  three  are  one;  the  Father  in  the  Son,  the  Son  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  with  both ;  that  this 
God  created  heaven  and  earth  and  all  that  in  them  is,  visible  as 
well  as  invisible,  and  sustains,  governs,  protects,  and  supports  the 
same. 

"Art.  2.  We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ;  that  he  is  verj^  God  and 
man,  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  the  whole  world ;  that  all  men  through 
him  may  be  saved  if  they  will ;  that  this  Jesus  suffered  for  us ;  that 
he  died  and  was  buried,  rose  on  the  third  day,  ascended  into  heaven, 
and  that  he  will  come  again,  at  the  last  daj-,  to  judge  the  living  and 
the  dead. 

"Art.  3.  We  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that  he  jDroceeds  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son ;  that  we  through  him  must  be  sanctified 
and  receive  faith,  thereby  being  cleansed  from  all  filthiness  of  the 
flesh  and  spirit. 

"Art.  4.  We  believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God;  that 
it  contains  the  true  way  to  our  souls'  well-being  and  salvation  ; 
that  every  true  Christian  is  bound  to  acknowledge  and  receive  it, 
with  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  his  only  rule  and  guide  ; 
and  that  without  repentance,  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  forgiveness  of 
sins,  and  following  after  Jesus  Christ,  no  one  can  l)e  a  true  Christian. 

"Art.  5.  We  believe  that  the  doctrine  which  the  Holy  Scriptures 
contain,  namely,  the  fall  in  Adam  and  salvation  through  Jesus 
Christ,  shall  be  preached  and  proclaimed  throughout  the  whole  world. 

Reprinted  from  a  pamphlet  published  in  1890. 
42  6o7 


658  APPENDICES 

"We  recommend  that  the  outward  signs  and  ordinances,  namely, 
baptism  and  tlie  remembrance  of  the  Lord  in  the  distribution  of 
the  bread  and  wine,  be  observed  ;  also  the  washing  of  feet,  where 
the  same  is  desired."  ^ 

THE   CONFESSION    IN    GERMAN. 

THE  ORIGINAL,  GJERMAN  TEXT  OF  THE  CONFESSION  OF   FAITH   OF 

THE  UNITED   BRETHREN   IN   CHRIST  AS  GFV^EN   IN 

THE  DISCIPLINE  OF   1815. 

( Original  printed  in  German  only.    For  a  strict  translation,  see  page  660. ) 

2)a§  (^lttubcn§'©efcnntm6  ber  SJcreinigten  JBriibcr  in  (E^rifto. 

^m  Xiamen  ®otte§  be!ennen  roir  t)or  jebermann,  bn^  vo\x  o^iawhtn  an  box  einigeit 
loai^ren  ©ott,  SSater,  ©o^u  unb  ^eiligeit  ©eift;  "iia^  biefe  S)rei)  ©ing  finb,  ber  Skater 
im  (Sof)n;  ber  ©of)rt  im  SSater  unb  ber&eilige  ©eift  gleic^eg  2Befennnt  bei)ben; 
ba^  biefer  breijeinige  ©ott  ^immel  unb  ©rben  unb  alfeo  raag  barinnen  ift,  foiDo^t 
fi(f)tbar  al§  unfidjtbar,  erfc^affen  ^ai,  trdgt,  regiert,  fcfiii^t  unb  erfjdit. 

SBir  glauben  an  ^efum  (Sfjriftum,  ba^  er  U)a[)rer  ©ott  unb  9J^enjc^  ift,  baf;  er 
feine  mcnfi^Iit^C  9ltttur  burc^  'i>tn  ^eiHgen  ©cift  in  W.ax\a  angenommen,  unb  Don 
i^r  gebo^ren ;  ba^  er  §ei(anb  unb  a3erfo[;ner  be^  ganjen  menfrf)Iid)en  ©efc^lec^ta 
ift,  rcenn  fie  bie  in  ^t\\x  angebotene  ©nabe  im  ©(au6en  an  \{)n  a\mti)rmn ;  ba^ 
biefer  S^fw^  fii^  w"^  getttten  \)ai,  am  ©tamme  be^  il'reu^e^  geftorben,  begraben, 
ant  britten  Xage  rcieber  auferftanben,  gen  ^immet  gefa^ren,  raelc^er  ift  gur  9iec^ten 
©otte§  unb  uertritt  un5 ;  unb  raieber  !ommen  ratrb,  am  jiingften  2:nge,  gu  ric^ten 
bie  l^ebenbigen  \m^  bie  2:obten. 

SBir  9lau6en  an  ben  |>ctli9en  ©cifl,  iJtt^  cr  glcti^eS  2Bcfen§  mit  Ucm  a^otcr 
uniJ  bent  8o^n,  ba^  er  Hon  fte^bcn  nuSgc^t,  Jjq^  loir  burcl  i^n  crlcm^tet, 
tiuri^  tstn  @Ittu6cn  gcrci^tfcrtiget  wnU  gc^ciligct  tucriJen. 

OBtr  gloukn  cine  ^etligc  ©cmcinbe,  ©cmcinfi^aft  ber  ^ciltgcn,  5luf* 
erflc^ung  beg  gteifi^eg  wnU  ein  etuigeg  fieben. 

2Bir  gtauben  ba^  bie  93ibel,  aim  unb  ueue§  ^eftament,  ©otteg  5E5ort  ift ;  ba^ 
fie  ben  xoai)x^n  2Ceg  gu  unferer  ©eligfeit  entfjolte,  'oa'^  ein  jeber  lua^re  ef)rift, 
biefelbetuit  ben  ©infliiffen  be^  ©eifteg  ©ottes  einjig  unb  aUein  gu  feiner  9iic^tf c^nur 
ne^men  fott,  unb  "tia^  of)ne  ©tauben  an  ^efum  G^riftum,  rca^re  23u^e,  a>ergebung 
ber  (giinben  unb  9^ac^folge  (E^rifti,  niemanb  ein  lua^rer  (Shrift  fei)n  !ann. 

aSir  glttuben  ba^  bie  «c^re  tceli^e  bie  ^eiltge  Sr^rift  entpit,  uemlic^ : 
ben  %a{i  in  2(bani  unb  bie  Grlofung  burd^  Sefum  (E^riftuni,  ber  gansen  SBelt  follte 
geprebigt  raerben. 

2Sir  glauben  ba^  bie  (inhere  ©naUen-SWittet  in  ben  ©emeinben  G^rifti  geiibt 
toerben  follten,  nemlid^ :  bie  Xaufe  unb  bag  OcDiit^tni^  iieg  2oDtc8  beS  ^errn, 
in  Qlugt^cilung  beS  a5roi)0  wnb  SBeing,  W  fottcn  nai^  iiem  93cfe^I  beg  #ertn 
3jefu,  unter  fetnen  ^tnbern  geiibt  tnertien ;  bie  2lrt  unb  2Ceife  foil  aber  einem 

Translation  of  Manuscript  Discipline,  1814. 


APPENDICES  659 

jeben  nac^  feiner  ©rfenntni^  iibertaffen  raerben.    %u6)  ba6  Sei)fpie(  won  ^u^= 
roafd^ert  fte^et  einem  jeben  frep. 

DIFFERENCES   BETWEEN  THE  CONFESSIONS  OF  1815  AND   1817. 

Menschliche  Natur  changed  to  Menschheit. 

The  third  paragraph,  on  the  Holy  Ghost,  changed  to  read  as 
follows :  Wir  glauben  an  den  Heiligen  Geist,  dass  er  gleiches  Wesens 
niit  dem  Vater  und  Sohn^  dass  er  die  Oldubige  troste  und  sie  in  alle 
Wahrheit  leite. 

Heilige  Gemeinde  changed  to  Seilige  Christliche  Gemeinde. 

Dass  die  Lehre  welche  die  Heilige  Schrift  enthalt  changed  to  dass 
die  Heilige  Schrift  enthalt. 

Gnaden-MUtel  changed  to  MitteL 

Des  Todies  des  Herrn  changed  to  des  Todies  des  Herrn  Jesu. 

The  following  omitted  in  1817:  In  Austheilung  des  Brods  und 
Weins,  die  sollen  7iach  dem  Befehl  des  Herrn  Jesu. 

DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN  THE  CONFESSIONS  IN  DISCIPLINES  OF 

1817  AND  1819. 

Bekennen  wir  changed  to  erkldren  und  bekennen  wir. 

Eine  heilige  Christliche  Gemeinde  changed  to  an  eine  heilige  Christ- 
liche Gemeinde. 

Wir  glauben  dass  die  aussere  changed  to  Wir  halten  dafUr^  dass  die 
dussere. 

Unter  seinen  Kinde?^  geilbt  iverden  changed  to  Dass  es  seinen 
Kindern  oblieget  dieselbe  besonders  zu  iXben. 

The  Confession  in  Discipline  of  1821  is  the  same  as  that  in  Disci- 
pline of  1819. 

DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN  THE   CONFESSIONS  OF  1821   AND   1825. 

TT7r  halten  dafilr,  dass  die  dussere  Mittel  in  den  Gemeinden  Christi 
changed  to  Wir  sind  uberzeugt  dass  die  dusseren  Gnaden- Mittel. 

Des  Todes  des  Herrn  Jesu  changed  to  Des  Todes  unsers  Herrn  Jesu 
Christi. 

In  den  Gemeinden  Christi  changed  to  in  alien  Christlichen 
Gemeinden. 

Dass  es  seinen  Kindern  oblieget  dieselbe  besonders  zu  ilben  changed 
to  Dass  es  Kindern  Gottes  besonders  geziemet,  dieselbenzu  gebrauchen. 

Die  Art  und  Weise  aber  soil  einem  jeden  nach  seiner  Erkenntniss 
ilberlassen  iverden.  Auch  das  Beyspiel  von  Fusswaschen  stehct  einem 
jeden  frey  changed  to  Die  Art  und  Weise  aber,  wie  dieselbe  geubf 
werden  sollen^  soil  dem  Urtheil  und  dem  Erkenntniss  eines  jeglichen 
ilberlassen  seyn.  Auch  das  Beyspiel  des  Fusswaschens  stehet  einem 
jeden  frey  zu  uben  oder  zu  unterlassen. 


660  APPENDICES 

All  of  the  following  was  added  to  the  Confession  of  1825  : 
'■'■  Jedoch  ist  es  keinem  unserer  PrecUger  geziemend,  seinen  Mit- 
hruder^  dessen  Urtheil  und  Erkenntniss  von  dem  seinigen  verschieden 
ist,  desswegen  offentlich  oder  in  Privat  zu  verkleinern,  oder  seine  Art 
und  Weise,  loie  er  dieselbe  IXbt,  zu  veracMen;  iver  sich  hierin  schuldig 
macht,  soil  als  ein  Verldumder  seiner  BriXder  geachtet,  und  deshalb  der 
Jdhrliehen  Conferenz  verantwortlich  seyn.^^ 

CONFESSIONS  OF  1825  AND   1833  COMPARED. 

Auferstehung  des  Fleisches  changed  to  Auferstehung  des  Leihes. 
Dass  die  dusseren   Onaden-Mittel  changed  to  Dass  die  dusseren 
Verordnungen . 

CONFESSIONS  OF   1837  AND   1841   COMPARED. 

Unserer  Prediger  geziemeiid  changed  to  unserer  Prediger  oder 
Oemeindes-gliedern  geziemend. 

Deshalb  der  jdhrliehen  Conferenz  verantwortlich  sein  changed  to 
deshalb  verantwortlich  sein. 

CONFESSIONS  OF  1845  AND  1857  COMPARED. 

Erkenntniss  von  dem  seinigen  changed  to  Erkenntniss  von  dem 
seinigen  in  diesen  Beziehungen. 

Wer  sich  hierin  schuldig  macht  changed  to  Wer  sich  dessen  schuldig 
macht. 

Various  other  changes  in  the  German  form  were  made  after  1845. 
The  words  in  diesen  Beziehungen,  meaning  "in  these  respects," 
were  not  introduced  into  the  German  Discipline  until  1857. 

THE    CONFESSION    IX    ENGLISH. 
TRANSLATION  OF   CONFESSION   OF   1815. 

(Words  in  italics  indicate  additions  to  or  changes  in  the  Confession  in  use  prior 
to  1815.    Words  in  brackets  indicate  omissions  from  tliat  Confession. ) 

No  English  translation  of  the  German  Confession  of  1815  was  made 
at  the  time.     The  following  is  a  strict  translation  of  it : 

"[Article  1.]  In  the  name  of  God  we  confess  before  all  men, 
that  we  believe  in  the  only  true  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ; 
that  these  three  are  one,  the  Father  in  the  Son,  the  Son  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  with  both;  that  this 
triune  God  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  visible 
as  well  as  invisible,  [and]  sustains,  governs,  protects,  and  supports 
the  same. 

"[Art.  2.]  We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ;  that  he  is  very  God  and 
man;  thcU  he^  by  the  Holy  Crhost,  assumed  his  human  nature  in  3fary^ 


AJPPENDICES  661 

and  was  horn  of  her;  that  he  is  the  Saviour  and  Redeemer  of  the 
whole  human  race,  if  they  ivith  faith  in  him  accept  the  grace  'prof- 
fered in  Jesus;  that  this  Jesus  suffered  and  died  on  the  cross  for  us, 
was  buried,  rose  again  on  the  third  diiy,  ascended  into  heaven,  and 
siffcfh  on  the  right  hand  of  God  to  intercede  for  us;  and  that  he  shall 
come  again,  at  the  last  day,  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead. 

"[Art.  3.]    AVe  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost;   that  he  is  equal  in 

being  ivith  the  Father  and  the  Son;  that  he  proceeds  from  both;  that 

ive  are  through  him  enlightened;  through  faith  justified  and  sanctified. 

"  TT'e  believe  in  a  holy  church,  communion  of  saints,  resurrection 

of  the  flesh,  and  a  life  everlasting ^ 

"  [  Art.  4.]  We  believe  that  the  Bible,  Old  and  New  Testament,  is 
the  word  of  God ;  that  it  contains  the  true  way  to  our  [  souls'  well- 
being  and]  salvation;  that  every  true  Christian  is  bound  to 
[acknowledge  and]  receive  it  with  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  as  his  only  rule  [and  guide];  and  that  without /a /Y/i  in  Jesus 
Christ,  true  penitence,  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  following  after  [Jesus] 
Christ,  no  one  can  be  a  true  Christian. 

"[Art.  5.]  We  believe  that  the  doctrine  which  the  H0I3-  Scrip- 
tures contain,  namely,  the  fall  in  Adam  and  the  redemption  through 
Jesus  Christ,  shall  be  preached  [and  proclaimed]  throughout  the 
whole  world. 

"We  believe  that  the  outward  means  of  grace  are  to  be  in  use  in 
all  Christian  societies,  namelj':  that  baptism  and  the  remembrance 
of  the  death  of  the  Lord  in  the  distribution  of  the  bread  and  wine 
are  to  be  in  use  among  his  children,  according  to  the  command  of 
the  Lord  Jesus;  the  mode  and  manner,  hoivever,  shall  be  left  to  the 
judgment  of  every  one.  Also,  the  example  of  feet-washing  remains 
free  to  every  one.'''' 

CONFESSION    AS    TRANSLATED     FROM     THE     GERMAN     INTO    ENGLISH 

A.ND    FOUND    IN    THE    DISCIPLINE    BEARING    DATE    1819, 

THIS  BEING    THE    FIRST    TRANSLATION   INTO 

THE  ENGLISH  LANGUAGE. 

(  Words  in  italics  indicate  additions  to  or  changes  in  the  Confession  of  1815.    Words 
in  bracliets  indicate  omissions  from  that  Confession.) 

^^The  Confession  of  Faith  of  the  United  Brethren  i?i  Christ. 

"In  the  name  of  God  we  declare  and  confess  before  all  men,  that 
we  believe  in  the  only  true  God,  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost; 
tliat  these  three  are  one,  the  Father  in  the  Son,  the  Son  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  equal  in  essence  or  being  with  both; 
that  this  triune  God  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  all  that 

iThis  paragraph  was  not  in  the  Confession  prior  to  ISJ.j. 


662  APPENDICES 

in  them  is,  visible  as  well  as  invisible ;   and  furthermwe  sustains, 
governs,  protects,  and  supports  the  same. 

"We  believe  in  Jesus  Christ;  that  he  is  very  God  and  man;  thai 
he  became  incarnate  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  virgin 
Mary,  and  was  born  of  her ;  that  he  is  the  Saviour  and  Mediator  of 
the  whole  human  race,  if  they  with  full  faith  in  him  accept  the 
grace  proffered  in  Jesus;  that  this  Jesus  suffered  and  died  on  the 
cross  for  us,  was  buried,  arose  again  on  the  third  day,  ascended  into 
heaven,  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God  to  intercede  for  us ; 
and  that  he  shall  come  again  at  the  last  day  to  judge  the  quick  and 
the  dead. 

"  We  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  is  equal  in  being  with  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  and  that  he  coiiiforts  the  faithful,  and  guides 
them,  into  all  truth. 

"We  believe  in  a  holy  Christian  church,  the  communion  of  saints, 
the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  [a]  life  everlasting. 

"We  believe  that  the  Holy  Bible,  Old  and  New  Testaments,  is  the 
word  of  God ;  that  it  contains  the  only  true  way  to  our  salvation ; 
that  every  true  Christian  is  bound  to  acknowledge  and  receive  it 
with  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  their  only  rule  and  guide; 
and  that  without  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  also  true  penitence,  for- 
giveness of  sins,  and  following  after  Christ,  no  one  can  be  a  true 
Christian. 

"We  also  believe  that  what  is  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
to  wit:  the  fall  in  Adam  and  the  redemption  through  Jesus  Christ, 
shall  be  preached  throughout  the  [whole]  world. 

"We  further  think  that  the  outward  means,  namely,  baptism  and 
the  remembrance  of  the  suffei^ings  and  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  are  to 
be  in  use  and  practiced  in  all  Christian  societies;  and  that  it  is  incum- 
bent on  his  children  paHicularly  to  practice  them.  But  the  manner  in 
ivhich  ought  always  to  be  left  to  the  judgment  and  understanding  of 
each.  So  also  the  practice  or  example  of  luashing  the  feet  must 
remain  free  to  the  judgment  of  every  one."  ^ 

1825. 

The  General  Conference  of  1825  so  changed  the  Confession  of 
Faith  after  the  phrase,  "shall  be  preached  throughout  the  world," 
as  to  read  as  follows: 

"We  are  convinced  that  the  outward  means  of  grace,  namely, 
baptism  and  the  remembrance  of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  are  to  be  in  use  and  practiced  by  all  Christian 
societies,  and  that  it  is  incumbent  on  all  the  children  of  God,  par- 
ticularly, to  practice  them ;  but  the  manner  in  which  ought  always 

'  This  paragraph  was  recast  throughout. 


APPENDICES  663 

to  be  left  to  the  judgment  and  understanding  of  every  individual. 
So  also  the  [  practice  or  ]  example  of  washing  the  feet  is  left  to  the 
judgment  of  every  one  to  practice  or  not;  hut  it  is  not  becoming  any 
of  our  preachers  to  traduce  any  of  his  brethren  whose  Judgment  and 
understanding  in  this  respect  are  different  from  his  own^  either  in 
public  or  in  private;  whosoever  shall  make  himself  guilty  in  this  respect 
shall  be  accounted  a  traducer  of  his  brethren  and  shall  therefore  be 
answerable  to  the  annual  conference.'''' 

isas. 

The  General  Conference  of  1833  made  further  changes,  as  follows : 
"And  that  without  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  true  repentance^  forgiveness 
of  sins,  and  following  after  Christ,  no  one  can  be  a  true  Christian." 
"We  believe  that  the  ordinances^  namely,  baptism  and  the  remem- 
brance of  the  sufferings  and  death  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  are  to  be 
in  use  and  practiced  by  all  Christian  societies ;  and  that  it  is  incum- 
bent on  all  the  children  of  God,  particularly,  to  practice  them ;  but 
the  manner  in  which  ought  always  to  be  left  to  the  judgment  and 
understanding  of  everj^  individual.  So,  also,  the  example  of  washing 
the  feet  is  left  to  the  judgment  of  every  one  to  practice  or  not;  but  it 
is  not  becoming  any  of  our  preachers  to  traduce  any  of  his  brethren 
whose  judgment  and  understanding  in  this  respect  are  different  from 
his  own,  either  in  public  or  in  private ;  whosoever  shall  make  him- 
self guilty  in  this  respect  shall  be  accounted  a  traducer  of  his 
brethren,  and  shall  therefor  be  answerable  to  the  annual  conference." 

1837. 

The  General  Conference  of  1837  so  changed  the  closing  sentence 
above  as  to  make  it  read  thus:  "Whosoever  shall  make  himself 
guilty  in  this  respect  shall  be  considered  a  traducer  of  his  brethren, 
and  shall  be  answerable  for  the  same  to  the  annual  conference." 

This  General  Conference  also  adopted  a  constitution,  in  which 
occur  the  words,  "Nothing  shall  be  done  so  as  to  change  the  article 
of  faith." 

The  General  Conference  of  1841  again  amended  the  Confession 
of  Faith  as  follows  ( new  words  in  italics,  words  omitted  in  brackets )  : 
"Also,  the  example  of  washing  [the]  feet  is  left  to  the  judgment  of 
every  one  to  practice  or  not ;  but  it  is  not  becoming  for  any  of  our 
preachers  or  members  to  traduce  any  of  his  brethren  whose  judgment 
and  understanding  in  this  respect  are  different  from  his  own,  either 
in  iDublic  or  [in]  private.  Whosoever  sliall  make  himself  guilty  in 
this  respect  shall  be  considered  a  traducer  of  his  brethren,  and  shall 
be  answerable  for  the  same  [to  the  annual  conference]." 


664  APPENDICES 

The  is  left  out  in  the  phrase  "  washing  the  feet." 
For  is  inserted  in  "it  is  not  becoming  for  any  of  our  preachers." 
The  words  or  members  are  inserted  after  "preachers." 
In  is  omitted  before  "private." 
The  words  "to  the  annual  conference"  are  left  out. 
This  is  the  General  Conference  that  made  and  adopted  the  old 
Constitution. 

1845. 

The  General  Conference  of  1845  changed  the  words,  "to  traduce 
any  of  his  brethren  whose  judgment  and  understanding  in  this 
respect  are  different  from  his  own,"  to  "to  traduce  any  of  their 
brethren  whose  judgment  and  understanding  in  this  respect  are 
different  from  their  own." 

1857. 

The  General  Conference  of  1857  changed  the  words  "in  this 
respect"  in  the  Confession  of  Faith  as  occurring  after  the  words 
"and  understanding"  to  the  words  "in  these  respects." 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  General  Conference  did  all  this. 
Nothing  was  ever  submitted  to  the  voice  of  the  membership  prior 
to  1888. 


APPENDIX  II 

DECISIONS  OF  THE  SUPREME  AND  CIRCUIT  COURTS  OF 
OHIO  IN  THE  PUBLISHING  HOUSE  SUIT^ 

DECISION    OF    THE    SUPREME   COURT    OF    OHIO. 

No.  3,001.  Halleck  Floyd  et  at.  v.  David  L.  Bike  et  al.;  Mont- 
gomeiy  County.  The  case  has  been  fully  and  exhaustively  con- 
sidered in  the  opinion  of  the  Circuit  Court,  as  announced  by  Shearer, 
J.,  Rike  et  al.  v.  Floyd  et  al.,  6  O.  C.  C.  Reports,  80.  We  fully 
affirm  the  reasoning  of  the  Court  and  the  conclusions  there  rendered. 
Judgment  affirmed.    Shauck,  J.,  did  not  sit  in  the  case. 

DECISION    OF   THE    CIRCUIT    COURT,    SECOND    CIRCUIT, 
MONTGOMERY    COUNTY,    OHIO.* 

JUNE  TERM,    1891. 
CHABIiES  C.  SHKAKER,  ") 

Gilbert  H.  Stewart,  >  Judges. 

James  M.  Smith,  j 

(Judge  Smith,  of  the  First  Circuit,  taking  the  place  of  Judge  Shauck.) 

David  L.  Rike  et  al..  Trustees,    ^ 

vs.  y 

Halleck  Floyd  et  al.  ) 

OPINION. 

Shearer,  J. 

Under  the  issues  presented  by  the  above-quoted  pleadings  »  a  large 
amount  of  testimony,  oral  and  documentary,  has  been  introduced ; 
and  without  entering  into  an  analysis  of  the  evidence,  we,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  request  of  counsel,  and  to  enable  them  to  except 
to  the  decision  upon  the  questions  of  law  involved  in  the  trial,  state 
our  conclusions  of  fact  found,  separately  from  our  conclusions  of  law, 
as  follows : 

Findings  of  Fact. 

[  A  large  number  of  facts  found  are  here  omitted  as  not  necessary 

1  See  p.  391. 

2  See  6  Ohio  Circuit  Court  Reports,  80. 

3  The  petition  of  the  plaintiffs,  the  answer  and  cross-petition  of  the  defend- 
ants, and  the  reply  of  the  plaintiffs  precede  the  opinion,  and  are  here  omitted. 

66.5 


666  APPENDICES 

to  an  understanding  of  the  opinion,  and  as  matter  well  known  to 
the  Church.— Ed.] 

It  is  further  found,  that  since  the  General  Conference  of  1889  the 
doctrine  and  beliefs  preached  and  taught  by  both  "Liberals"  and 
"Radicals"  in  no  wise  differ  from  those  preached  and  taught  by  the 
Church  of  the  United  Brethren  in  Christ  prior  to  said  General  Con- 
ference. All  the  distinctive  principles,  ceremonies,  usages,  and 
customs  have  been  retained  and  practiced  in  the  Church  by  the 
"Liberals"  as  fully  and  strictly  as  was  done  before  the  adoption 
of  the  revised  Confession  and  amended  Constitution,  except  that 
they  have  admitted  to  membership  in  the  Church  members  of  secret 
organizations. 

It  is  further  found,  that  said  amended  Constitution  and  Confes- 
sion of  Faith  were  adopted  by  the  General  Conference  of  the  Church, 
upon  the  request  of  the  requisite  number  of  the  membership,  and 
in  good  faith ;  that  said  revised  Confession  of  Faith  is  not  antago- 
nistic to  the  doctrines,  faith,  or  belief  of  the  Church  as  tliey  existed 
at  the  date  of  the  several  conveyances  in  the  petition  mentioned, 
or  since ;  that  there  is  no  substantial  or  material  difference  between 
the  old  and  new  Confessions  of  Faith. 

It  is  further  found,  that  said  election  of  the  said  plaintiffs  as 
trustees  and  of  said  Shuey  as  publishing  agent  was  had  in  all  respects 
as  required  by  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Church ;  and  that 
said  plaintiffs  and  said  Shuey  severally  accept  the  amended  Con- 
stitution and  revised  Confession  of  Faith,  and  claim  to  be  acting 
under  and  in  accordance  with  the  same. 

Such  is  our  finding  of  facts.  The  next  inquiry  is  as  to  the  con- 
clusions of  law  to  be  deduced  therefrom. 

Conclusions  of  Law. 

Much  time  has  been  devoted  by  counsel  to  the  history  and  legisla- 
tion of  the  United  Brethren  Church  from  its  foundation  in  the  last 
centurj^,  interesting  and  instructive,  but  of  little  value  as  an  aid 
to  the  solution  of  the  questions  involved  in  this  controversy. 

We  have  found  the  Constitution  of  1841  to  be  valid  organic  law 
from  the  time  of  its  adoption  until  May  13,  1889,  at  which  time  the 
change  was  made  the  validity  of  which  the  defendants  challenge. 
That  instrument  provides  (Article  II.,  Section  4)  that  "No  rule  or 
ordinance  shall  at  any  time  be  passed  to  change  or  do  away  the 
Confession  of  Faith  as  it  now  stands,  nor  to  destroy  the  itinerant 
plan";  and  Article  IV.  ordains  that  "There  shall  be  no  alteration 
of  the  foregoing  Constitution,  unless  by  request  of  two-thirds  of  the 
whole  society." 


APPENDICES  GOT 

Was  there  such  request?  The  Constitution  is  silent  as  to  the 
method  by  which  this  "request"  shall  be  preferred,  leaving  the 
Conference  to  suggest,  or  the  people  to  adopt,  any  form  of  request 
they  may  deem  proper.  The  General  Conference  appointed  a  Com- 
mission to  formulate  an  amended  Constitution  and  a  revised  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  and  provided  that  such  Commission  should  "adopt 
and  cause  to  be  executed  a  plan  by  which  such  measures  sliould 
receive  the  largest  possible  attention  and  expression  of  approval  or 
disapjDroval  by  our  i)eople,"  etc. 

The  largest  publicity  was  given  to  the  pendency  of  these  measures 
through  the  official  organs  of  the  Church,  by  pamphlets,  from  the 
pulpit,  and  otherwise,  as  well  as  of  the  time  when  the  vote  would 
be  taken.  Ballots  were  prepared  and  circulated  throughout  the 
membership,  and  every  means  adopted  to  secure  a  full  expression 
of  the  views  of  the  membership  upon  the  proposed  changes. 

Following  this,  after  a  three  years'  canvass,  came  the  election, 
at  which  an  extraordinarily  large  vote  was  cast. 

In  pursuance  of  the  plan  of  the  Conference  in  that  behalf,  returns 
of  the  vote  were  made  from  the  annual  conferences  to  tlie  General 
Board  of  Tellers,  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  that  board  in  turn  prepared 
and  returned  to  the  Board  of  Bishops  a  consolidated  abstract  of  the 
vote,  which  showed  a  majority  in  favor  of  the  amendments  largely 
in  excess  of  two-thirds  of  the  votes  polled,  even  if  the  16,187  mem- 
bers protesting,  but  not  voting,  were  counted  as  voting  "Xo." 

Was  not  this  almost  unanimous  vote  in  favor  of  the  proposed 
amendments  a  "request"?  Was  it  necessary  that  the  "request" 
should  proceed  from  the  membership  without  any  suggestion  from 
any  quarter  that  it  be  made?  Why  might  not  the  Conference 
advise  or  suggest  that  such  "request"  be  made?  Xo  reason  occurs 
to  us  why  it  might  not,  nor  why  a  request  so  made  would  be 
unconstitutional. 

The  objection  on  this  score  is  more  technical  than  substantial. 
The  vote  was  a  "request." 

But  defendants  say,  conceding  said  request  to  be  sufficient,  the 
Constitution  required  it  to  be  by  "two-thirds  of  the  whole  society." 
But  what  should  be  the  construction  of  the  ])lirase  "two-thirds 
of  the  whole  society"?  Does  it  mean  two-thirds  of  tlie  entire  num- 
ber borne  upon  the  Church  rolls  as  members  ?  Or  does  it  mean 
two-thirds  of  those  voting  ? 

We  do  not  think  the  fathers  who  ordained  the  Constitution  of 
1841  intended  to  follow  the  example  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and 
fetter  future  generations  for  all  time,  unless  two-tliirds  of  all  the 
members  — men,  women,  children,  non-communicants,  those  "beyond 
sea,"  African  converts,  and  all  — should  request  the  change.    Such 


668  APPENDICES 

construction  can  hardly  be  insisted  upon,  in  tlie  light  of  the  testi- 
mony that  the  Church  was  opposed  to  "numbering  Israel"  at  the 
time  of  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1S41,  and  for  many  years 
afterwards. 

The  framers  of  the  rule  must  have  meant  that  two-thirds  of  those 
voting  should  be  sufficient ;  otherwise,  how  were  they  to  determine 
that  the  requisite  majority  had  voted  for  or  against  a  measure,  there 
being  no  provision  for  an  enumeration,  and  the  Church  being 
opposed  to  making  one? 

We  are  bound  to  assume  that  the  rule  Avas  made  in  the  light  of 
the  fact  that  enumerations  were  not  favored,  and  that,  therefore,  the 
phrase  was  used  in  its  generally  accepted  sense  —  two-thirds  of  those 
voting. 

The  Constitution  of  1837  provided  that  "No  General  Conference 
shall  have  power  to  alter  or  amend  the  foregoing  Constitution,  except 
it  be  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  that  body." 

Under  this  limitation,  could  not  the  General  Conference,  by  a 
vote  of  two-thirds  of  a  quorum,  change  the  organic  law,  although 
strictly  the  phrase  "two-thirds  of  that  body"  means  two-thirds  of 
all  the  members  of  that  body?  We  think  so.  And  so  the  phrase 
"two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  whole  society,"  while  it  literally 
signifies  two-thirds  of  all  the  members  of  the  Church,  means,  in  the 
sense  in  which  it  is  used  in  the  Constitution  of  1841,  two-thirds  of 
those  members  who  vote. 

In  Carroll  County  v.  Smith,  111  United  States,  which  concerned  an 
election  held  under  a  statute  of  ISIississippi,  authorizing  subscriptions 
to  the  capital  stock  of  a  railroad  company  by  municipalities  upon 
certain  conditions,  among  which  was  the  submission  of  the  question 
"to  the  qualified  voters  of  said  county,  city,  etc.,  .  .  .  and  if  two- 
thirds  of  the  qualified  voters  vote  in  favor  of  the  subscription,  .  .  . 
the  constituted  authorities  .  .  .  are  authorized  and  required  to 
subscribe,"  etc.,  Mr.  Justice  Matthews  held  that  an  assenting  vote 
of  two- thirds  of  the  whole  number  enrolled  as  qualified  to  vote 
was  not  required,  but  that  two-thirds  of  those  actually  voting  at 
the  election  was  sufficient. 

And  in  Walker  v.  Oswald,  68  Md.,  146,  the  Court  say  :  "When  an 
election  is  held  at  which  a  subject  matter  is  to  be  determined  by 
a  majority  of  the  voters  entitled  to  cast  ballots  thereat,  those 
absenting  themselves,  and  those  who,  being  present,  abstain  from 
voting,  are  considered  as  acquiescing  in  the  result  declared  by  a 
majority  of  those  actually  voting,  even  though,  in  point  of  fact, 
but  a  minority  of  those  entitled  to  vote  really  do  vote." 

See  also  St.  Joseph  v.  Rogers,  16  Wall.,  663;  Wardens  of  Christ 
Church  V.  Pope,  8  Gray,  140-43 ;  Pichardson  v.  Society,  58  N.  H.,  188 ; 


APPENDICES  669 

Greene.  Weller,  32  Miss.,  850;  Piohib.  Amen't  Cases,  24  Kans.,  200; 
Dayton  v.  St.  Paul,  22  Minn.,  400;  IPdler  v.  English,  24  X.  J.  L.,  17; 
Count}]  of  Cass  v.  Johnstoii,  95  U.  S.,  860;  72  111.,  63;  1  Sneed,  690; 
10  Minn.,  85;  37  Mo.,  270;  69  lud.,  505;  20  Amer.  Corp.  Cases,  93; 
INIcCrary  ou  Elections,  173. 

But  we  are  not  confined  to  secular  authority,  for  in  accord  with 
the  above  cases  is  the  interi^retation  of  the  Constitution  by  the 
General  Conference,  the  court  of  last  resort  of  the  Church.  That 
it  construed  the  j)hrase  "  whole  society  "  to  mean  those  voting  upon 
the  changes,  is  apparent  from  the  provision  in  the  plan  of  submission 
that  said  changes  should  be  held  to  be  adopted  when  two-thirds 
of  the  members  who  voted  upon  them  were  found  to  have  voted 
affirmativel}'.  And  the  approval  by  the  General  Conference  of  1889 
of  the  report  of  the  Commission  which  set  out  the  vote  upon  the 
changes,  is  an  affirmance  of  such  interpretation. 

It  being  clear  that  a  majority  of  two-thirds  of  those  voting  was 
sufficient  for  the  adoi^tion  of  the  amended  Constitution  and  the 
revised  Confession  of  Faith,  the  next  question  is,  whether  the 
adojDtion  of  the  latter  o^^erated  to  "change  or  do  away  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith"  as  it  stood  prior  to  the  revision. 

This  question  must  be  answered  in  the  negative.  Changes  have 
been  made,  but  in  no  material  or  substantial  respect.  Thej^  consist 
in  alterations  of  phraseology  without  changing  the  sense,  and  in  the 
addition  of  statements  of  doctrine  which  have  been  taught  and 
believed  by  the  Church  from  its  foundation,  and  which,  while  not 
expressed  in  the  old,  are  com^Drehended  by  implication.  No  new 
doctrine  is  introduced,  no  old  dogma  or  article  of  faith  is  eliminated. 
The  revised  Confession  involves  no  departure  from  the  faith  of  the 
Church  as  taught  from  the  beginning. 

That  the  old  Confession  of  Faith  permitted  latitudinarianism, 
while  the  new  is  more  explicit  and  inflexible,  is  urged  as  a  reason 
why  we  should  hold  that  there  has  been  a  departure  from  the 
standards  of  the  Church,  so  serious  as  to  destroy  its  identity. 

But,  as  we  have  seen,  there  is  no  statement  of  doctrine  in  the  new 
Confession  which  has  not  always  been  taught  and  believed  by  the 
Church ;  and  as  a  creed  is  a  mere  system  of  principles  professed  or 
believed,  we  can  perceive  no  improj)riety  in  expressing  in  orderlj'  form 
those  principles  which,  although  believed  and  accepted  as  distinctive 
doctrine,  are  not  formulated,  or,  if  stated,  are  crude  or  equivocal. 

If  the  revised  Confession  makes  no  change  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  it  is  not  to  be  condemned  for  its  greater  certainty  and 
perspicuity  as  compared  with  the  creed  which  it  supplants.  Obscure 
and  equivocal  language  may  be  commendable  in  a  political  platform, 
but  should  find  no  place  in  articles  of  religious  faith. 


670  APPENDICES 

We  canuot  assent  to  the  claims  of  counsel  that  the  concession  that 
the  new  Confession  differs  from  the  old  involves  the  admission  that 
the  new  establishes  different  doctrine.  ]Mere  verbal  changes  do  not 
necessarily  alter  the  doctrine ;  neither  does  the  expression  in  the  new 
Confession  of  that  which  is  implied  in  the  old  have  that  effect. 

One  of  the  defendants,  upon  his  examination,  admitted  that  the 
doctrines  stated  in  the  revised  Confession  of  Faith  are  not  un- 
scriptural,  nor  antagonistic  to  the  teachings  of  the  Church  prior  to 
the  separation.  Yet  it  is  contended  that  there  have  been  seven 
omissions  of  doctrine — five  alterations  directly,  and  others  indirectly, 
and  twenty  additions.  Among  the  seven  "  omissions "  is  the  "disci- 
plinary rule  against  traducing  brethren."  Xo  knowledge  of  theology 
is  necessary  to  understand  that  rules  of  i)olity  have  no  proper  place 
in  a  creed  or  confession  of  faith.  The  remaining  six  "omissions" 
are  not  apparent  from  a  comparison  of  the  two  creeds.  The  doctrines 
supposed  to  be  omitted  are  fairly  implied  in  the  new  Confession. 

Without  further  illustration,  we  are  clear,  as  we  have  already 
said,  that  no  substantial  or  material  changes  have  been  made  in 
the  creed  of  the  Church.  The  efforts  of  those  learned  in  theology 
to  bring  to  light  essential  differences  savor  more  of  the  ecclesiastical 
hair-splitting  of  the  era  of  polemics  and  scholasticism,  than  of  these 
days  of  advanced  thought  and  i3ractical  Christianity. 

But  if  our  conclusions  in  this  regard  are  wrong,  is  not  the  decision 
of  the  General  Conference,  the  supreme  judicatory  of  the  Church, 
conclusive  ? 

Controversies  in  the  civil  courts  concerning  the  iDroperty  rights 
of  that  class  of  religious  societies  to  which  the  Church  of  the  United 
Brethren  in  Christ  belongs,  namely,  the  class  having  an  ascending 
series  of  judicatories,  such  as  oflficial  boards,  quarterly  conferences, 
annual  conferences,  and  a  General  Conference,  are  to  be  decided, 
where  the  title  is  held  by  purchase,  by  reference  to  this  proiDosition: 
That  where  the  right  of  proj^erty  in  the  civil  court  is  dependent 
on  the  question  of  doctrine,  discipline,  ecclesiastical  law,  rule, 
custom,  or  church  government,  and  that  has  been  decided  by  the 
highest  tribunal  within  the  organization  to  which  it  has  been  carried, 
the  civil  court  Avill  accept  that  decision  as  conclusive,  and  be  gov- 
erned by  it  in  its  application  to  the  case  before  it.  ^yatson  v.  Jones, 
13  Wall.,  679,  727. 

The  doctrine  just  stated  seems  to  answer  affirmatively  the  question 
above  propounded.  This  controversy''  grows  out  of  questions  of  purely 
ecclesiastical  cognizance ;  and  the  General  Conference,  having  juris- 
diction by  virtue  of  the  request  of  two-thirds  of  the  whole  society, 
decided  them  adversely  to  the  defendants,  and  such  decision  is  final 
and  conclusive.     Connitt  v.  Ref.  Prot.  Dutch  Ch.,  54  X.  Y.,  551 ;  Wat- 


APPENDICES  671 

Mns  V.  Wilcox,  66  N.  Y.,  654;  Chase  v.  Cheney,  38  111.,  oil;  White 
Lick  Quaker  Case,  89  Ind.,  136;  Harrison  v.  Hoyle,  24  O.  8.,  254;  45 
Pa.  St.,  1;  45  Mo.,  183;  Oaffx.  Greet,  88  Ind.,  122;  Shamionx.  Frost, 
3  B.  Mon.,  253;  Gibson  v.  Armstrong,  7  B.  Mon.,  481;  Harmon  v. 
Dreher,  1  Speer's  Eq.,  87;  High  on  Injunctions,  Sees.  310,  314. 

It  follows,  also,  from  what  we  have  said,  that  there  has  been  no 
perversion  of  the  trusts  vested  in  plaintiffs.  Such  pers^ersion,  to 
entitle  the  party  alleging  it  to  relief,  must  be  clearly  shown ;  it  must 
be  a  plain  and  radical  departure.  See  Gable  v.  Miller,  2  Denio, 
492,  548;  66  N.  Y.,  6.54;  38  N.  H.,  460;  33  HI.,  398;  61  111.,  405;  41 
Pa.  St.,  13. 

Other  questions  have  been  discussed,  but  they  are  not  deemed 
material  to  the  decision  of  the  case. 

It  follows,  and  we  state  as  conclusions  of  law : 

That  the  plaintiffs  are  the  lawful  trustees  of  said  Printing  Estab- 
lishment; and  that  said  Shuey  is  the  duly  elected  and  qualified 
publishing  agent  of  said  Church ;  that  said  plaintiffs  as  such  trustees 
are  entitled  to  the  possession,  management,  and  control  of  said  real 
and  other  property  in  the  petition  described,  and  to  have  the  title 
thereto  quieted  in  them  and  their  successors,  against  the  said  adverse 
claims  of  the  said  defendants  and  each  and  every  of  them. 

That  said  defendants  have  not,  nor  has  any  of  them,  any  right, 
title,  or  claim  to  the  possession,  management,  or  control  of  any 
of  the  property  aforesaid,  as  trustees  or  otherwise,  nor  to  any  of  the 
proceeds  thereof;  and  they  and  their  successors  ought  to  be  forever 
restrained  and  enjoined  from  in  any  wise  interfering  with  the 
plaintiffs  as  trustees  and  the  said  Shuey  as  i^ublishing  agent,  or 
their  successors,  in  the  possession,  management,  and  control  of  said 
l^roperty,  or  the  proceeds  thereof. 

That  said  defendants  are  not,  nor  is  any  of  them,  entitled  to  any 
relief  sought  by  them,  or  any  of  them,  herein,  and  their  several 
cross-petitions  will  be  dismissed  at  their  costs. 

Decree  accordingly, 
Gunckel  &  Rcywe,  and  J.  A.  McMahon,  for  Plaintiffs. 
William  Lawrence,    George    W.   Houk,    and    Young  <fe    Young,    for 
Defendants. 


INDEX 


INDEX 


Academies  and  colleges,  477,  641. 
Africa,  missions  In,  of  general  Ijoard, 

4S4. 
of  woman's  board,  462. 
conference  in,  632. 
Agents  of  the  Publishing  House,  418, 

638. 
Albright,  Jacob,  192, 193,  194,  195. 
Allegheny  Conference,  573,  483. 
Allen,  Samuel  B.,  501,  502. 
Altman,  Nehemiah,  284,  414,  418,  638, 

639. 
Ambrose,  M.  H.,  511. 
American  Missionary  Association,  436, 

442. 
Annual  conferences,  555. 

time  of  organization,  642. 
Antrim,  Jacob,  406,  557. 
Appendices,  657. 
Archer,  Mary,  468. 
Arkansas  Valley  Conference,  625. 
Arnold,  Valentine,  26,  27,  39,  40,  41. 
Asbury,  Francis,  49,  86,  87,  189,  190,  193, 

210,  211. 
quoted,  86,  210,  212,  221. 
ordination  of,  211,  212. 
Auglaize  Conference,  593. 
Avalon  College,  511. 

Baltzell,  Isaiah,  572,  654. 
Bangs,  Nathan,  quoted,  200,  212,  221. 

cited,  173. 
Bartlett,  Norman  B.,  504,  506. 
Baulus,  Jacob,  239,  162,  }7l,  175,  etc. 
Beal,  A.  M.,  3o6,  361,  377,  496,  500. 
Beardshear,  William  M.,  356,  361,  377, 

496,  500,  5.57. 
Beeken,  Emily,  463. 
Bell,  William  M.,  452,  417,  450,  588,  639. 
Benedum,  George,  240,  175,  181,  185,  186, 

222. 
Berger,  Christian,  2;}8,  174,  175,  176,  179, 

182,  183,  194,  222,  etc.,  627. 
Berger,  Daniel,  387,  393,  413,  414,  423,  525, 

638,  651,  653. 


Bible  Normal  Union,  538,  6.50. 

Bibliography,  651. 

Biddle,  Alexander,  267,  560,  578. 

Bierman,  E.  Benjamin,  507,  508,  509. 

Bigler,  Regina,  473,  474. 

Billheimer,  J.  K.,  438,  439,  440,  453,  5.57, 

613,  6.39. 
Billheimer,  Mrs.  A.  L.,  296,  439,  440,  462, 

613. 
Bischoff,  C,  447,  469. 
Bishops,  6.37. 

ordination  of,  650. 
Bittle,  El  ma,  468. 
Board  of  Education,  531,  324,  640. 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Church,  549. 
Boehm,  Henry,  162,  167,  169. 

quoted,  168,  200,  211,  213. 

cited,  198. 
Boehm,  Martin,  63,  113,  134, 135,  14.5,  161, 
162,  167,  170  ff.,  197,  650. 

in  Virginia,  72. 

and  Otterbein,  78. 

and  the  Mennonites,  114. 

and  the  Methodist  Church,  197  ff. 

death,  197. 
Bonebrake,  D.,  563. 
Bonebrake,  Henry,  267. 
Bonnet's  School-house,  223. 
Book  publications,  417. 
Bookwalter,  Lewis,  500,  .3.51,  STA,  3;37,  361, 

377,  496,  .502,  519,  557,  640,  652,  654. 
Booth,  Benjamin  F.,  452,  393,  550,  627, 

639. 
Bowersox,  C.  A.,  493. 
Brane,  C.  I.  B.,  457,  628,  629,  639. 
Bright,  John  C,  303,  427,  428,  451,  578,  6.39. 
Brooke,  C.  M.,  504,  505,  506,  602. 
Brown,  William,  2.58,  246,  254,  260,  637. 

650. 
Buckley,  J.  M.,  quoted,  216. 
Bufkin,  L.  H.,  501,  609. 
Burtner,  L.  O.,  443,  444,  445,  629. 
Burtner,  Mrs.  L.  O.,  44.3,  444,  445. 


Cain,  I.  N..  604. 


675 


676 


INDEX 


California  Conference,  607. 
Canada  Conference,  see  Ontario  Con- 
ference. 
Cardwell,  W.  A.,  432,  602. 
Carter,  T.  C,  614,  631. 
Cascade    Conference,    see     Columbia 

River  Conference. 
Castle,  Nicholas,  341,  356,  361,  372,  375, 

377,  382,  550,  588,  637,  650. 
Central  Illinois  Conference,  611. 
Central  Ohio  Conference,  622. 
Chickamauga  Conference,  630. 
Children's  Friend,  413. 
China,  mission  in,  472,  632. 
Chinese  missions,  470. 
Chittenden,  L.  S.,  483,  563,  6.54. 
Church,  the,  641. 

historical  outline,  641. 

growth  in  membership,  642. 

statistics,  644  ff. 

name  adopted,  163. 
Church  Commission,  see  Commission. 
Church-Erection  Society,  4*1,  324,  639. 

organization,  454. 

progress  and  work,  455. 
Circleville,  Publishing  House  at,  256, 407. 
Clark,  Rufus,  and  Mrs.,  445,  619. 
Clark  Training  School,  445,  522. 
Colleges  and  academies,  477,  641. 
Colorado  Conference,  618. 
Columbia  River  Conference,  612. 
Commission,  Church,  352,  a53,  360. 

authorized,  352. 

members  of,  356. 

meeting  of,  360. 

report  of,  375. 

approval  of  work  of,  378. 

proclamation  of  bishops,  881. 
Conclusion,  633. 
Conference,  first,  1789, 132. 

second,  1791, 144. 

of  1800,  160. 

of  1801,  169. 

of  1802,  170. 

of  1803, 174. 

of  1804, 174. 

of  1805,  175. 

of  1806,  178. 

of  1807, 178. 

of  1808, 178. 

of  1809, 179. 

of  1810, 179. 
Conferences,  annual,  555. 

time  of  organization,  642. 

General,  see  General  Conference. 


Confession  of  Faith,  137,  226,  271,  349, 
362,  657. 
first,  1789,  137. 
of  1815,  226. 
revision  of,  349  ff. 
of  1889,  362. 

its  various  changes,  657. 
Connor,  T.  J.,  429,  598,  612. 
Constitution,  261,  268,  349  ff. 
.first,  1837,  261. 
second,  1841,  268. 

amendment  of,  349  ff. 
third,  1889,  365. 
Coons,  John,  277,  260,  2(>4,  267,  480,  557, 

561,  562,  637,  6-50. 
Correspondence,     friendly,    with    the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  187. 
with  the  Evangelical  Association, 
192. 
Cowden,  Robert,  539,  640,  652. 

quoted,  536. 
Cowell,  A.  L.,  514. 
Cronise,  Florence,  468. 
Crouse,  Isaac,  537,  538,  579. 
Crum,  Christian,  241,  145,  162, 175,  185. 
Curtis,  E.  W.,  609. 

Dakota    Conference,   see    Elkhorn 

and  Dakota  Conference. 
Dashields,  George,  209. 
Davis,  Lewis,  310,  393,  428,  486,  488,  492, 

524  ff.,  562,  637,  650,  654. 
quoted,  300,  301. 
Davis,  William,  260,  264,  267,  492,  496, 499, 

581,  586. 
quoted,  581. 
Dayton,  removal  of  Publishing  House 

to,  304,  408. 
headquarters  of  the  societies  of  the 

Church,  4.53,  641. 
Decisions  of  courts,  394  ff. 

in  the  Publishing  House  suit,  394, 

665. 
Degmeier,  Julius,  491,  639. 
Departments  of  church  work,  405. 
Departure  of  the  leaders,  197. 
Depravitj^  question,  306. 
Des  Moines  Conference,  608. 
Deutsche  Teleskop,  414. 
Dickson,  John,  338,  356,  360,  372,  375,  382 

387,  526,  550,  569,  637,  6.50. 
Dickson,  W.  A.,  543,  54.5,  547,  640. 
Dillenburg,  20,  21,  22. 
Disciplinary  rules,  142,  184,  226. 
Discipline,  Book  of,  226,  228,  24.5. 


INDEX 


(m 


Disciplines,  printing  of,  228,  245,  405. 
Disciplines,   1814-1841,  quoted,  138,  139, 
165.  • 
cited,  144,  226,  230. 
Dodds,  John,  558,  423,  428,  463,  5-50. 
Doi,  S.,  448,  450. 
Doran,  David  W.,  519. 
Draksel,  Abraham,  154,  135, 145, 162, 171, 

181,  183,  etc. 
Dresbach,  George,  256,  272,  638. 
Dresbach,  Jonathan,  256,  272,  638. 
Droke,  J.  D.,  519,  614. 
Drury,  A.  W.,  528,  271,  586,  638,  640,  650, 
651,  653,  6.54,  657. 
"Life  of  Otterbein,"  quoted,  20,  22, 
26,  28,  29,  31,  etc. 
cited,  52,  59,  86,  127. 
"  Life  of  Glossbrenner,"  quoted,  287. 
cited,  291. 
Drury,  Marion  R.,  421,  413,  543,  545,  547, 

586,  638,  651. 
Drury,  M.  S.,  501,  586. 

East  German  Conference,  615. 
East  Nebraska  Conference,  619. 
East  Ohio  Conference,  626. 
East  Pennsylvania  Conference,  571,  281. 
Eastern  Conference,  180.     See  Original 

Conference. 
Eaton,  Minnie,  468. 
Eberly,  Daniel,  493,  524. 
Editors,  of  Religious  Telescope,  412,  413, 
420,  638. 

Sunday-school,  413,  414,  423,  638, 

German,  414,  422,  639. 

of  Watchivord,  415,  639. 

of  Woman's  Evangel,  All,  474,  639. 

of  Search  Light,  417,  450,  452,  453,  639. 

of  Unity  Magazine,  416,  638. 

of  Quarterly  Review,  416,  638. 
Education,  281,  310,  477,  523,  531. 

Board  of,  531,  324,  640. 

theological,  523. 
Educational  institutions,  477, 523, 641, 649. 

students  in,  641. 

property  of,  649. 
Edwards,  David,  298,  281,  284,  310,  428, 

479,  526,  562,  637,  638,  6-50,  6'A. 
Edwards,  Jonathan,  17,  18. 
Edwards  Academy,  519. 
Elkhorn  Conference,  see  Elkhorn  and 

Dakota  Conference. 
Elkhorn  and  Dakota  Conference,  617. 
Emigration  of  Germans  to  America, 
32  ff. 


Emrick,  B.  E.,  510,  599. 

Erb,  Jacob,  273,  260,  264,  267,  282,  284,  406, 
414,  430,  568,  637,  639,  650,  6.51. 

Erie  Conference,  597. 

Erie  Conference  Seminary,  520. 

Ernst,  John,  135, 145. 

Ervin,  S.  B.,  504,  5.57. 

Etter,  John  W.,  387,  414, 416,  423,  528,  572, 
638,654. 

Evangelical  Association,  friendly  cor- 
respondence with,  182,  192. 

Evans,  J.  R.,  3.57,  361,  377,  617. 

Evinger,  Henry,  185,  246,  406. 

Farmer,  Aaron,  406, 563. 

Faust,  S.  D.,  528,  572,  640. 

P'etterhoff,  J.,  260,  264. 

Fix,  E.  E.,  47.3,  474,  475. 

Fix,  Mrs.  E.  E.,  473,  474,  475. 

Flickinger,  Daniel  K.,  357,  372,  375,  382, 

413,  436  fl-.,  451,  525,  557,  6.32,  637,  639, 

650,  652  fl". 
Floyd,  Halleck,  377,  379,  384,  392,  590,  665. 
Fox  River  Conference,  see  Wisconsin 

Conference. 
Frederick  City,  Otterbein  at,  5.5. 
Freemasonry,  2a3,  3:31. 
Friendly    correspondence,    with    the 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  187. 
with  the  Evangelical  Association, 

192. 
Fries,  J.  N.,  518. 

Fries,  W.  O.,  423,  49.3,  516,  544,  515, 548. 
Frohliche  Botschaftei;  414. 
Fulkerson,  J.  W.,  3.51,  603,  604. 
Funk,  John  F.,  quoted,  114,  115,  116. 
Funkhouser,  A.  P.,  496,  500,  518,  567. 
Funkhouser,  George  A.,a56,  361,  369,  377, 

525,  526,  527,  528,  576,  638. 

Garst,  Henry,  493,  494,  &50,  301,  .377,  524, 
652. 

quoted,  238,  294. 
General  Conference,  first,  1815,  217. 

second,  1817,  244. 

third,  1821,  246. 

fourth,  1825,  251. 

fifth,  1829,  2.5:3. 

sixth,  1833,  2.54. 

seventh,  1837,  260. 

eighth,  1841,  267. 

ninth,  184.5,280. 

tenth,  1849,  282. 

ia53-18(il,  ;303. 

186.5-1881,  323. 


678 


INDEX 


nineteenth,  1885,  349. 
twentieth,  1889,  372. 
twenty-first,  1893,  399. 
date  and  place  of  meeting  of  each, 
642. 
George,  J.,  516. 
German  periodicals,  414,  273. 
German    the   early   language   of   the 

Church,  230. 
Germany,  mission  in,  447,  631. 

woman's  mission  in,  469. 
Germany  Conference,  631. 
Geschiiftige  Martha,  273,  414. 
Gilbert,  William  S.,  510. 
Glossbrenner,  Jacob  J.,  284,  260,  264,  267, 
280,  281,  282,  306,  310,   356,   361,  428, 
480,  525,  526,  566,  637,  650. 
Gomer,  Joseph,  441,  442,  462,  465,  466. 
Gomer,  Mrs.  J,,  441,  442. 
Great  meetings,  134. 
Griflath,  William  R.,  492. 
Groenendyke,  Ellen,  467. 
Grosch,  Christopher,  135,  145,  162,  171, 

181,  182,  218. 
Growth  in  membership,  642. 
Guething,  George  Adam,  116,  135,  145, 
162,  171,  etc.,  201,  406. 
and  the  Reformed  Church,  119  ff. 
Guitner,  John  E.,  494,  493. 

Hadley,  Oliver,  440. 

Hadley,  Mrs.  O.,  440. 

Hagerstown  Conference,  see  Virginia 
Conference. 

Halverson,  Lovina,  473,  474. 

Ham,  W\  J.,  514. 

Hammond,  Lucian  H.,  509. 

Hanby,  Benjamin  R.,  296. 

Hanby,  William,  295,  260,  261,  264,  266, 
272,  281,  282,  284,  408,  413,  486, 561, 562, 
637,  638,  650,  653,  654. 

Hanson,  S.  C,  519. 

Harbaugh,  H.,  45, 120, 121, 123. 

quoted,  42,  44,  45,  46,  47,  84,  101,  120. 
cited,  54,  89,  90,  124. 

Harrisburg  Conference,  see  Pennsyl- 
vania Conference. 

Hartsville  College,  484. 

Hatfield,  Marietta,  468. 

Haywood,  John,  493,  214. 

Haywood,  Mrs.  Sylvia,  461,  475. 

Hendel,  William,  123,  126, 128  ff. 

Henkle,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  472. 

Herborn,  the  school  at,  26. 

Hetzler,  P.  C,  357,  361,  377,  599. 


Hiestand,  Samuel,  257,  251,  255,  260,  261, 

264,  561,  562,  637,  650. 
Hildt,  John,  30,  206,  207,  251. 
Hill,  John,  456,  a56,  361,  377,  597,  639. 
Hippard,  Samuel  M.,  351,  354,  494,  529, 

557. 
Hiskey,  George,  260,  264,  267. 
Historical  outline,  641. 
Historical  Society,  5.51,  386,  &W. 
History     of     the     United     Brethren 
Church,  Spayth's,  282,  &53. 
Lawrence's,  420,  653. 
Hoenshel,  E.  U.,  518. 
Hoffman,  Elizabeth,  460. 
Hoffman,  Joseph,  256,  178,  179,  182,  184, 

194,  245,  246,  251,  557,  561,  637,  6-50. 
Hoke,  Jacob,  570,  6-34. 
Holland,  Church  of,  32  ff. 

synods  of,  36,  37. 
Home,  Frontier,  and  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society,  424,  303. 
its  work,  424. 

home  and  frontier  field,  424. 
mission  in  Africa,  434. 
training  school,  445. 
home  of  rest,  446. 
mission  in  Germany,  447. 
mission  in  Japan,  447. 
change  in  organization,  450. 
summary,  4i50. 
general  officers,  451, 639. 
Home  of  rest,  446,  468. 
Home  Reading  Circle,  539. 
Hott,  George  P.,  518,  567. 
Hott,  James  W.,  387,  351,  354,  356,  361, 
377,  380,  413,  4.53,  567,  637,  638,  6.39, 650, 
654. 
Howard,  A.  T.,  446. 
Huber,  J.  G.,  514. 
Hymn-books,  406,  417,  6^. 

Illinois  Conference,  588,  282,  484. 
Indiana  Conference,  563,  251,  282,  483. 
Iowa  Conference,  585,  282,  495. 
Irie,  George  K.,  448,  6:32. 
Isaac  Long's  barn,  79. 

Japan,  mission  in,  447,  632. 
John,  L.  F.,  515. 
Jugend  Pilger,  415. 

Kansas  Conference,  601,  433,  4,31. 
Keister,  George,  527,  528,  576. 
Keister,  Mrs.  L.  R.,  417,  461,  474,  475,  .547, 
639,  640,  6^32. 


INDEX 


(579 


Kemp,  John,  453,  4^0,  525,  529,  557,  639. 
Kemp,  Peter,  IGO,  1G9, 170,  171, 175, 181, 182. 
Kenoyer,  J.,  429,  598,  612. 
Kentucky  Conference,  595,  434. 
Kephart,  Cyrus  J.,  346,  509,  572. 
Kephart,  Ezekiel  B.,  345,  a56, 361,372,375, 

377,  382,  387,  393,  496,  499,  524,  .5.50,  551, 

576,  586,  637,  650,  651. 
Kephart,  Isaiah  L.,  421,  357,  361,  377,  413, 

502,  513,  569,  576,  638. 
King,  Jacob  B.,  418,  538,  640. 
King,  J.  R.,  445,  447. 
Klinefelter,  W.  H.,  502,  513,  557,  583. 
Kumler,  D.  C,  436,  437. 
Kumler,  F.  A.  Z.,  511,  512. 
Kumler,  Henry,  Jun.,  275,  267,  273,  280, 

310,  326,  418,  428,  431,  480,  488,  489,557, 

637,  638,  650. 
Kumler,  Henry,  Sen.,  236,  183,  194,  222, 

234,  245,  246,  251  ff.,  267,  280,  480,  557, 

637,650. 
Kumler,  Samuel  E.,  277,  492,  494. 
Kurtz,  J.  D.,  208,  209. 
quoted,  109. 

Lancaster,  Otterbein  at,  43. 

Landis,  Josiah  P.,  525,  526,  528,  271,  543, 

544,  515,  548,  557,  638,  6-52,  6.57. 
Lane  University,  503. 
Lanthurn,  William  H.,  418,  654. 
Lawrence,  John,  420,  413,  638,  653. 

History,  quoted,  54,  57,  99,  107,  235, 
238,  239,  etc. 
Lay  representation,  305,  326,  386,  399. 
Lebanon  Valley  College,  506. 
Lehman,  Adam,  127, 135, 145. 
Lesher,  J.  M.,  442. 
Lesher,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  442. 
Lessons  for  the  Little  Ones,  413,  414. 
Light,  Ezekiel,  422,  414,  524,  572,  639. 
Ling,  Moy,  471,  472,  47.3. 
Litigation,  a  period  of,  391. 

decisions  of  courts,  394  ff". 

decisions  in  the  Publishing  House 
case,  394,  665. 
Lorenz,  Edmund  S.,  418, 509,  544, 557,  654. 
Lorenz,  Edward,  422,  414,  592,  639. 
Lower  Wabash  Conference,  583. 
Lutherans,  34,  35,  80. 
Luttrell,  J.  L.,  593,  594,  652. 

McFadden,  Louis  H.,  493. 
McFadden,  Thomas,  49.3. 
McGrew,  L.  A.,  447,  468. 
McGrew,  Mrs.  Clara,  468. 


McKee,  William,  4.53,  393,  417,  418,  452, 
,550,  557,  638,  639,  652,  653. 

McNamar,  John,  563. 

Mair,  Mrs.  M.  M.,464. 

Markwood,  Jacob,  316,  280,  283,  284,  310, 
480,  566,  637,  638,  650. 

Maryland  Conference,  628. 

Mathers,  William,  578,  652. 

Mathews,  George  M.,  377,  378,  393,  416, 
423,  557,  638. 

Maumee  Conference,  see  Auglaize  Con- 
ference. 

Mayer,  Abraham,  241,  169,  174,  175,  178, 
etc. 

Mayer,  Lewis,  quoted,  98. 

Membership,  growth  in,  642. 

Mennonites,  34,  m,  64,  72,  80,  140. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  friendly 
correspondence  with,  179,  182,  187. 
fraternal  relations  with,  214,  216. 

Miami  Conference,  180,  184,  556,  460,  485, 
488. 

Michigan  Conference,  610,  484. 

Miller,  Daniel  R.,  529,  377,  387,  549,  550, 
580,  610. 

Miller,  George,  609,  351,  351,  356,  361,  377, 
423,  548. 

Miller,  Jacob,  467. 

Miller,  Mrs.  Jacob,  467. 

Miller,  Mrs.  L.  K.,  417,  474,  475,  639,  652. 

Mills,  J.  S.,  400,  356,  361,  377,  496,  500,  562, 
586,  637,  650. 

Mills,  S.,  502,  .584. 

Mills,  W.  O.,  516. 

Minnesota  Conference,  603,  434. 

Missionary  society,  general,  first  or- 
ganized, 27.3. 
second  organization,  303. 
woman's,  459. 

Missionary  Visitor,  413. 

Missions,  see  Home,  Frontier,  and 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  and 
Woman's  Missionary  Associa- 
tion. 

Missouri  Conference,  604,  433,  434. 

Mittendorf,  William,  422,  414,  592,  639, 
653. 

Mobley,  D.  A.,  513. 

Mount  Pleasant  College,  483. 

Mountain  Messenger,  406. 

Muhlenberg,  Henry  M.,  37,  42. 

Mumma,  M.  J.,  cited,  79,  81. 

Muskingum  Conference,  559,  24.5. 

Name  of  the  Church  adopted,  163. 


680 


INDEX 


Neidig,  John,  157, 145, 162, 169, 170, 181. 
Neosho  Conference,  616. 
Nevin,  J.  W.,  quoted,  109. 
Newcomer,  Christian,  146,  232,  135,  145, 
162, 170, 171, 174, 175,  etc.,  637,  650,  654. 
"Journal,"  232. 

quoted,  170,  174,  175, 176,  194,  204, 
205,  etc. 
Nickey,  G.  G.,  433. 
North  Michigan  Conference,  621. 
North  Ohio  Conference,  590, 
Northwest  Kansas  Conference,  624. 

OCKERSDORF,  Ottcrbein  at,  28. 

Ohio  German  Conference,  591. 

Okamoto,  M.,  448. 

Old  Conference,  see  Original  Conference. 

Ontario  Conference,  599,  431. 

Ordination,  of  Otterbein,  28,  30,  31. 

of  Newcomer,  Hoffman,  and  Schaf- 
f  er,  205  ff. 

of  bishops,  650. 
Oregon  Conference,  598,  429,  430,  434. 
Original  Conference,  132, 160, 169,  555. 
Osage  Conference,  see  Arkansas  Val- 
ley Conference. 
Otterbein,  John  Daniel,  23  ff. 
Otterbein,  Philip  William,  18,  20  ff. 

parentage,  birth,  and  early  years,  20. 

the  Otterbein  family,  22. 

the  school  at  Herborn,  26. 

work  in  Herborn  and  Ockersdorf, 
28. 

certificate  of  ordination,  31. 

call  to  America,  31. 

pastor  at  Lancaster,  43. 

religious  experience  at  Lancaster, 
48  ff. 

pastor  at  Tulpehocken,  Frederick 
City,  and  York,  51. 

marriage,  59. 

visit  to  Germany,  61. 

meeting  with  Boehm,  78. 

called  to  Baltimore,  82. 

his  church  in  Baltimore,  88. 

his  rules,  89. 

and  the  United  Ministers,  126  ff. 

leader  of  a  new  movement,  101  ff., 
132  ff. 

attendance  at  conference,  135,  145, 
161,  162,  169,  171,  174, 175. 

elected  bishop,  166,  167,  168, 175, 176, 
637. 

last  days  and  death,  203. 

literary  remains,  214. 


Otterbein,  Wilhelmina  Henrietta,  23  ff. 
Otterbein  Church,  88. 

rules  of,  89. 
Otterbein  family,  the,  22. 
Otterbein  University,  485. 
Our  Bible- Lesson  Quarterly,  413,  414. 
Our  Bible  Teacher,  413. 
Our  Intermediate  Bible-Lesson  QuarCerly, 

413. 
Owen,  Alexander,  414,  416,  493,  569,  638. 

Pabkersbukg  Conference,  600,  434. 
Patterson,  Australia,  472,  473. 
Pennsylvania  Conference,  567,  254. 
Periodicals,  406,  412. 
Pfrimmer,  John  Jacob,  156, 145, 162, 171, 

172,  176,  535. 
Philomath  College,  509. 
Pietism,  65, 124. 
Pitman,  J.  S.,  607. 
Preliminary,  17. 
Pro  rata  representation,  324. 
Property,  value  of,  649. 
Pruner,  W.  J.,  529,  557. 
Publication,  before  1834,  40-5. 

after  1834,  2.55,  407. 
Publishing  agents,  418,  638. 
Publishing  House,  405,  255,  260,  304,  324. 

founded,  255,  407. 

removal  to  Dayton,  304,  408. 

material  development,  409. 

periodical  publications,  412. 

book  publications,  417. 

publishing  agents,  418. 

some  of  the  editors,  420. 

board  of  trustees,  423. 

litigation,  391. 

Quarterly  Review,  386,  416,  638. 

Rau,  John  Eberhardt,  26,  27,  39. 
Reese,  W.  S.,  515,  517. 
Reformed  Church,  32  ff.,  80,  81. 
Religious  Telescope,  256,  407,  412,  638. 
Resler,  J.  B.,  308,  494,  575. 
Revision  movement,  the,  349. 

opposition  to,  369. 

protests  against,  385. 
Rhinehart,   William   R.,  2^,  256,    260, 

261,  265,  406,  407,  557,  638,  654. 
Richardson,  W.  L.,  614. 
Rike,  David  L.,  558,  3.56,  361,  369,  377,  392, 

423, 492,  665. 
Rike,  Mrs.  D.  L.,  277,  324,  461,  &40. 
Rock  River  Conference,  594,  484. 


INDEX 


681 


Russel,  John,  291,  2.54,  256,  260,  267,  280, 
281,  282,  310,  407,  414, 480, 561,  637,  638, 
639,  6.50. 

Ryland,  William,  206,  207,  208,  209,  210. 

Sabbath-School  Association,  537  ff., 
640. 

Sabbath-School  Board,  see  Sunday- 
School  Board. 

Sage,  W.  S.,  442.  467. 

Sage,  Mrs.  W.  S.,  442,  467. 

Saginaw  Conference,  see  North  Michi- 
gan Conference. 

San  Joaquin  Valley  College,  513. 

Sanders,  T.  J.,  494,  493,  623. 

Sandusky  Conference,  577,  255,  303,  427. 

Schaff,  Philip,  "Didache,"  quoted,  141. 

Schaffer,  Frederick,  135,  145,  162,  169, 
174,  175,  182,  183,  209,  650. 

Schenck,  Ella,  468. 

Schlatter,  Michael,  36  ff.,  44. 

Schramm,  John  Henry,  26,  30,  31,  125. 

Schwope,  Benedict,  83  ff.,  97, 124,  126  ff., 
135,  145. 

Scioto  Conference,  560,  253,  482,  485. 

Search  Light,  417,  450,  639. 

Secession,  radical,  382. 

Secret  societies,  283,  308,  330,  355. 

Seneff,  B.  L.,  502,  50.3. 

Sexton,  Mrs.  Lydia,  582. 

Shaffner,  Lillie  R.,  472,  473. 

Shauck,  John  A.,  356,  361,  369,  .377,  393, 
394,  5.50,  665. 

Shenandoah  Institute,  518. 

Sherbro  Conference,  6.32. 

Shuck,  Daniel,  320,  310,  377,  379,  38.5,  428, 
504,  524,  563,  607,  6.50. 

Shuck,  David,  504. 

Shuey,  William  J.,  410,  418,  419,  351,  356, 
361,  369,  375,  377,  387,  392,  393,  395,  398, 
4.3.5  ff.,  524,  525,  538,  550,  557,  638,  640, 
651  ff.,  671. 

Shuey,  William  R.,  502,  503,  584. 

Shupe,  H.  F.,  415,  .S14, 545,  547,  M8, 576,  639. 

Sickafoose,  George,  471,  472,  47.3,  588,  598. 

Sickafoose,  Mrs.  Ellen,  471,  472. 

Sinaitic  Manuscript,  copy  of,  de- 
stroyed, 491. 

Slavery,  247,  309. 

Smith,  E.  R.,  423,  501. 

Smith,  AV.  C,  502,  524,  583. 

Snepp,  H.  A.,  a57,  361,  377. 

Snyder,  J.  H.,  .351,  357,  361,  377. 

Snyder,  Samuel  S.,  432,  576,  602. 

Sonntagschul-Lectionen,  415. 


Southern  Missouri  Conference,  625, 434. 
Southwest  Kansas  Conference,  629. 
Southwest   Missouri  Conference,   see 

Southern  Missouri  Conference. 
Sowers,  Thomas  N.,  418,  428,  638. 
Sowers,  Mrs.  Mary  A.,  461,  467,  475. 
Spangler,  John,  144. 
Spayth,  Henry  G.,  242,  222,  245,  251,  2.54, 
267,  282,  417,  .578,  627,  653,  654. 

History,  quoted,  30,  41,  53,  70,  71,  103, 
104,  121,  142,  1.53,  155,  etc. 
cited,  122. 
Spener,  Philip  Jacob,  65,  125. 
St.  Joseph  Conference,  587,  282. 
Statistics,  early,  221. 

of  1845,  280. 

of  1890,  by  States,  649. 

of  1896,  644,  645. 

of  1813-1896,  616,  647,  648. 

summary  of  property,  649. 
Statton,  I.  K.,  3.51,  a57,  361,  377,  586. 
Stevens,  Abel,  quoted,  21.3. 
Stevens,  J.  O.,  515. 
Stewart,  James  T.,  406. 
Sunday-School  Board,  537  ff.,  32.3. 

organization,  537. 

officers,  538,  5.39,  640. 
Sunday-school  literature,  413,  414,  41.5, 

540,  6.38. 
Sunday-school  work,  533. 

outline  of,  6.50. 

Bible  Normal  Union,  538,  650. 

Home  Department,  539. 

Home  Reading  Circle,  539. 

Temperance,  legislation  on,  248, 255, 272. 
Tennessee  Conference,  61.3. 
Terrell,  Josiah,  431,  432,  602. 
Thompson,  Henry  A.,  494,  389,  414,  42:^, 
493,  576,  638,  6.53. 
quoted,  297,  .311,  312. 
Time  limit  in  pastorate  removed,  400. 
Tobey,  William  O.,  420,  413,  .502,  638. 
Troyer,  Daniel,  2-37,  181,  18.5,  222. 
Tul})ehocken,  Otterbein  at,  51. 
Tyler,  B.  B.,  quoted,  110. 

Union  Biblical  Seminary,  .523,  .323, 
640. 

the  founding,  523. 

graduates,  526. 

admission  of  women,  527. 

faculty,  527. 

building  and  finances,  529. 
Union  College,  515. 


682 


INDEX 


United   Brethren    Publishing  House, 

see  Publishing  House. 
United  Ministers,  126  ff. 
Unity  Magazine,  416,  638. 

quoted,  62. 

cited,  236. 
Upper  Wabash  Conference,  580. 

VANDEMARfi:,  E.,  267. 
Vickroy,  Thomas  R.,  509. 
Virginia  Conference,  564,  254. 
Vonnieda,  Solomon,  409,  414,  418,  422, 
538,  571,  638,  639,  &40. 

Wabash  Conference,  279,  580,  582,  583. 

Wagner,  Daniel,  124, 128  ff. 

Walla  Walla  Conference,  see  Columbia 
River  Conference. 

Warner,  Z.,  451,  452,  600,  601,  639. 

Watchword,  415,  547,  639. 

Weaver,  Jonathan,  a33,  a56,  360,  361,  369, 
372,  375,  377,  382,  387,  393,  398,400,  494, 
526,  5.50,  560,  637,  6.50,  651,  653,  654. 

Weaver,  Solomon,  495,  496,  504,  524,  586. 

Weekley,  William  M.,  458,  595,  601,  602, 
639. 

Weller,  J.  A.,  504. 

Wesley,  Charles,  17. 

Wesley,  John,  17, 12.5. 

West,  Richard  N.,  46.5,  466,  468. 

West,  Mrs.  R.  N.,  46.5,  466. 

West  Kansas  Conference,  see  North- 
west Kansas  Conference. 

West  Nebraska  Conference,  620. 

Western  College,  49.5. 

Western  Reserve  Conference,  see  East 
Ohio  Conference. 

Westfield  College,  501. 

White,  R.  J.,  520,  521,  423,  597. 

White  River  Conference,  589. 

Whitefleld,  George,  18. 


Wilberforce,  D.  F.,  446. 
Williams,  Frances,  467,  468. 
Williams,  J.  A.,  439,  441. 
Wilmore,  A.  C,  423,  590. 
Wilson,  C.  O.,  440. 
Winters,  Thomas,  162,  169, 185.  406. 
Wisconsin  Conference,  60.5,  434. 
Witt,  Mrs.  B.  F.,  475,  ft40,  ft52. 
Witt,  William  Barton,  438. 
Woman's  Evangel,  417,  474,  639. 
Woman's  Missionary  Association,  459, 
324. 

organization,  459. 

mission  in  Africa,  462. 

mission  in  Germany,  469. 

Chinese  mission  in  Portland,  470. 

mission  in  China,  472. 

American  mission  in  Portland,  475. 

Woman''s  Evangel,  417,  474,  639. 

executive  officers,  47.5,  640. 

summary,  475. 
Women,  in  annual  conferences,  400. 

in  General  Conference,  399,  400. 

admission  to  ministry,  386. 
Wright,  Milton,  343,  356,  360,  361, 372, 375, 
383,  384,  413,  524,  525,  590,  637,  638, 
650. 

Yeakel,  R.,  quoted,  193, 194- 

Yonayama,  U.,  448. 

York,  Otterbein  at,  60. 

York  College,  516. 

Young  People's  Christian  Union,  541. 

organization,  541. 

officers,  515,  547,  .548,  640. 

progress  and  work,  546. 

Zeller,  Andrew,  234,  185, 186,  222,  224, 

245,  246,  251,  557,  637,  6-50. 
Zion's  Advocate,  406. 
Zuck,  William  J.,  518,  493,  576. 


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